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Meet the Dubai lady who lives a plastic-free life

Can you live a no-plastic life?

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Sophie Sandham will come across as your regular Dubai expat until you notice her take out a reusable bamboo fork to eat the salad at a café along the Dubai Marina promenade. 
We probed further and learn that she is one of the few people in the city who are embracing the 'No Plastic, Zero Waste' approach to living. When she moved from London to Dubai, she was subjected to surprise glances on telling the shopkeepers that she won't need a plastic bag for her groceries. 
Simply browsing through her Instagram account will give you a glimpse into her efforts to go the no plastic way. 

So, what is the biggest challenge of embracing the sustainable lifestyle in Dubai, we ask? 
"The main challenge for me is water bottles since cafes and restaurants in Dubai won't give you tap water to fill up my reusable bottles. I have read online articles, discussed with health experts on Instagram and realized that Dubai's tap water is fine for consumption." 
Not many of us might drink directly from the tap but for Sophie, it tastes fine and she has never fallen sick.  She has replaced her drinking bottle with reusable bottles and coffee/tea cups with recyclable cups that she carries along with her always.
 

 

Loveee ?? my #doppar #reusable bottle, with its lid that turns into a cute cup! Thank you @plugmeintravel for this awesome present! They're all the rage in the Netherlands apparently ?? today mine is filled with a delicious #breakfast #smoothie from home.. Saving money and #plastic from buying from a shop. Check out @plugmeintravel whose incredible electric vehicle sustainability adventure recently had him in Dubai! Travelling from Netherlands to Australia in an electric car (giving out these bottles along the way ??) what an inspiring sustainability advocate!! ???? . . . . #PlasticFreeDubai #PlasticFree #reusablewaterbottle #PlasticFreeSea #plasticpollutes  #SustainableLiving #sustainability #sustainablefood #GreenLiving #sustsainablsdubai #plasticfreevegan #ethicalliving #consciousness #consciousliving #MyDubai #ClimateChange #ClimateChangeIsReal #zerowaste #zerowastedubai #zerowasteliving #Vegandubai #zerowastedubai #picoftheday
A post shared by plasticfreedubai (@plasticfreedubai) on Apr 10, 2017 at 1:08am PDT

Getting her grocery fix 

Carrying a cloth bag to hypermarkets has become a regular thing for Sophie, much to the surprise of her friends and the people behind the supermarket counters.  
"In Dubai, I am beginning to see some supermarkets (like Waitrose, Dubai Marina and Spinneys, Motor City) that allow you to fill up your own bags (of choice) with groceries like rice, lentils, and nuts. There are also many fruit and vegetable aisles to make your pick from and carry in your own bags or containers."  
As a majority of residents are expats and get their food ordered to their house, there is little option to go plastic or waste-free. 
Sophie is happy with the awareness and talks about sustainability in Dubai. "I think that there is a lot of discussion on sustainability in Dubai and the UAE in terms of large scale energy usage, mainly with solar projects such as the Shams Project in Abu Dhabi - soon to be the largest solar project in the world and electric vehicles and of course the Sustainable City." 
Although she isn't living the zero-waste life yet, Sophie is aiming to reduce her waste output slowly. Much to her surprise and persistent efforts, her month-long waste last month could fit into a small bag (half a bag, as she mentions).
 

 

This is ONE MONTH'S worth of rubbish, and the bag is only half full ?? Thanks to #MindfulLiving and lots of #recycling.. The #zerowaste life dream is a step closer! Thank you @thesustainablecity #Dubai for such great recycling facilities on my doorstep that make it that bit easier ?? but it really isn't a chore once it's in your routine. Let's see what next month brings... #ReduceReuseRecycle ?? . . . #PlasticFreeDubai #PlasticFree #plastic #PlasticFreeSea #plasticpollutes  #SustainableLiving #sustainability #sustainablefood #GreenLiving #sustsainablsdubai #plasticfreevegan #ethicalliving #consciousness #consciousliving #MyDubai #ClimateChange #ClimateChangeIsReal #zerowaste #zerowastedubai #zerowasteliving #Vegandubai #recycling #recycledubai
A post shared by plasticfreedubai (@plasticfreedubai) on Dec 19, 2016 at 10:40am PST

Nine tips to live with less plastic 

 

My advice: choose one of these and OWN IT! Focus fully on removing one regular piece of plastic from your routine and not only will you fully achieve it but you'll feel empowered and free of the plastic shackles our consumerist society puts us in, and be ready to tackle the next item you choose. Changing routines takes time and care, it's not sustainable to do everything at once and jump to full on #PlasticFreeLiving in one swoop. And that's ok. Normal in fact. One small change after another will amount to big things. If you focus on one item in your life at a time you'll have the time, energy and brain capacity to try all the alternatives and do the research needed to find out how it works for you. You'll soon realise that it's actually so easy to go #PlasticFree, the only thing stopping you is you. My first item for plastic free living was when I waved goodbye to plastic bags this time 3 years ago and have picked up probably a max of 5 bags since. Easy peasy ?????? . . . . #PlasticFreeDubai #PlasticFree #plastic #PlasticFreeSea #plasticpollutes  #SustainableLiving #sustainability #sustainablefood #GreenLiving #sustsainablsdubai #plasticfreevegan #ethicalliving #consciousness #consciousliving #MyDubai #ClimateChange #ClimateChangeIsReal #zerowaste #zerowastedubai #zerowasteliving #Vegandubai #zerowastedubai #zerowasteuae #newyear #nye #newyearresolution #resolution #2017 #2017resolutions
A post shared by plasticfreedubai (@plasticfreedubai) on Jan 11, 2017 at 8:25am PST

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