Going plastic free: the first things to replace
Congratulations, you’re ready to live with less plastic!
That means you’re taking action to:
- Cut fossil fuel demand, reducing the progression of climate change
- Reduce the amount of waste that clogs up our landfills and litters our waterways and natural areas
- Reduce the toxins your body is exposed to, like BPA, phthalates and flame retardants
- Save money by using reusable alternatives, such as cling wrap or water bottles
- Invest in higher quality, made to last products, like stainless steel pegs or cast iron frying pans
Go you!
Whether your goal is to eliminate throwaway plastic, or you one day hope to be completely plastic free, you have to take the first step. So where do you start? What are the first things you replace?
Tackling one area at a time is an easy way to get started and give you confidence moving forward. Read on as we give you some ideas on how to approach the challenge in the initial stages.
Approach 1: Switch commonly used single use products for reusable alternatives
This could include switching:
- Cling wrap for reusable wax wraps or food containers
- Throw away plastic water bottles for a reusable water bottle
- Take away plastic cutlery for your own reusable cutlery
- Disposable nappies for reusable cloth nappies
Approach 2: Swap plastic bottles for package free
There are lots of products that come in plastic bottles that do have alternatives that are either package free, or come packaged in recyclable paper or cardboard, or reusable glass and tin.
So you could swap:
- Liquid shampoo and conditioner for shampoo bars or solid shampoo and conditioner (we explain the difference here)
- Dishwashing liquid for a solid dishwashing soap bar
- Body wash for a solid body soap bar
- Liquid toilet cleaner for toilet cleaning bombs
- Laundry liquid for soapberries
- Face and body moisturiser in a bottle, for one that comes in a glass jar, tin or solid block
Approach 3: Get into the garden
Fruit, veggies and herbs from the supermarket and veggie store often come wrapped in plastic. You don’t need much space or experience to grow your own though.
Most herbs are really easy to grow in pots, and we have window sill kits for those that don’t have a backyard.
For those that have a veggie garden, why not try growing vegetables and fruit from seeds.
Approach 4: Replace broken plastic items with quality, buy for life or natural fibre alternatives
This could include replacing:
- Plastic pegs with high quality metal wire pegs
- Plastic ice cube trays with a stainless steel ice cube tray
- Plastic dishwashing brushes with a wood and coconut fibre brush
- Synthetic reusable shopping bags with a cotton or jute reusable shopping bag
Approach 5: Take it room by room or activity by activity
Tackle one area at a time.
For example, getting takeaway you could bring your own:
- Reusable container or pouch for food to go in
- Reusable cutlery instead of opting for the single use plastic cutlery they provide
- Reusable coffee cup or have it at the cafe in a ceramic cup, instead of using the disposable one
- Reusable straw, or opt for no straw
- Fabric napkin or handkerchief
When shopping you could:
- Bring your own reusable shopping bags made from cotton or jute, or ask for a box
- Bring your own reusable produce bags made from cotton, or just let your veggies mingle
- Use a reusable container at the deli, butcher or specialty store
- Shop at local food co-ops or bulk food stores
With regards to cleaning you could switch:
- Spray cleaners for DIY cleaners using raw, natural ingredients purchased in bulk
- Laundry liquid, general cleaning sprays and even body wash for soapberries or a soapberry liquid (see more about that here)
- Plastic and synthetic cleaning brushes and sponges for natural fibre alternatives
In the bathroom you could swap:
- Cotton buds with a plastic stick to those with a bamboo or paper stick
- A toothbrush with a plastic handle to a toothbrush with a bamboo handle
- Body wash, hand soap, shampoo and conditioner in plastic containers to the solid soap bar alternatives
- Plastic combs and brushes to a wooden comb and brush
In the kitchen you could swap:
- Synthetic cloths for plant cellulose cloths
- Plastic scourers and dish brushes for natural fibre dish brushes
- Plastic cutting board for a wooden cutting board (here is why our camphor laurel cutting boards are extra special)
- Plastic containers for stainless steel or glass containers
- Nylon utensils for good quality stainless steel utensils
