How can I go plastic free?

[Starryskiesinthesky]

Or at least try and reduce it? Thinking about Eugenie's wedding and it just seems like everything comes in plastic these days. I had a chinese takeaway last night and it came in plastic tubs. Replacing soap it was in a plastic bottle but even if I bought a bar of soap it comes wrapped in a plastic wrapper.

Online shops also come with bags even when you request no bags.

It just seems very complicated and potentially expensive. Are there ways of making it manageable?

Good on you!

It can be done. Some things that I do:

1. Don’t buy individual serves of snacks. I buy a big container as they use less plastic.

2 look at your cleaning products. I mainly use bicarbonate sofa and vinegar. 3 cook from scratch as much as possible using fresh ingredients. 4 buy less. Automatically saves on plastic. Also try and buy good quality that lasts longer so less need to replace. 5 keep me cup for coffee 6 reusable drink bottle for water 7 I don’t do much online shopping in order to avoid plastic. I just try and time my shopping trips eg I do groceries while DD is at an activity for an hour. I try and support local businesses. 8 take reusable shopping bags with you

I’m starting to accept that it will be more expensive in the short term to reduce packaging, but worth it in the long run.

Had a ridiculous situation yesterday where DD needed a particular pen for an activity she was doing. Went onto Amazon, found one for £2.50, put in shopping basket. Then popped into town to get something else, found the pen in Smith’s for double the price, but got it anyway.

Because the whole idea of the packaging Amazon would use for the pen, plus having someone drive and deliver it to my door, when I could just take one home from the shop with me, seemed ludicrous.
Ditto a couple of presents I was getting. Found them in Sainsbury’s. Amazon could have them with me that evening for a couple of pounds cheaper. But that would involve the packaging and transportation involved.

I’ve got to accept that it’s going to be more expensive to me to shop in a way that creates less waste. However, maybe in the long run it will save me money as I think more about my purchases, and reuse and repurpose stuff I already have, if I have less money to actually spend.

Going to spend more in local independent shops too instead of driving to the out of town mall.

We cook from scratch most of the time and it still worries me how much plastic we put out. Fruit always seems to come in plastic punnets or wrapped in industrial clingfilm - same with veg.

I take salads for lunch. I make my own (that way I can eat a mix that I like), and I use a re-usable box that gets washed out every time. I have a reusable water bottle at work, and a china mug for coffee.

Buy a stock of shopping bags. The heavy duty plastic (!) supermarket ones last for years, and are ideal for a big shop. We carry fold up cotton bags in each car for those impromptu shopping needs. Some are small enough to pop in handbag. I now get irritated if I find myself buying anything and have to buy a bag!

I know Lush is controversial marmite on MN, but hey-ho: I use some Lush products and always take the tubs back. I used to use their sold shampoos and condition and may go back to them, or similar. I am planning to use up my stock of solid soaps to cut down on shower gels - they contain micro beads and come in plastic bottles anyway.

I'm also wondering about going back to washing powder ...

Thanks for some good ideas! I do carry reusable bags virtually all the time and I dont really drink water or coffee so am fine on that front.
I am bad for online shopping (clothes and food) though so might try and stop that as all the packaging plus deliveries is bad.

I have started using cloths that can be washed and reused but am thinking I might start using washing powder again as all the plastic packaging is bad.

I am also lucky to live somewhere with reasonably close ethical shops that I can use and try to buy there more often.

I dont think any of this is going to be easy though and there's also the feeling of how much difference it will make but hopefully things are changing.

There's some really great ideas to get you started on the Ethical Living forum. There's a whole plastic free living thread!

I order my soaps & shampoo bars online from wild-sage.co.uk & they come wrapped in paper. Another bonus over Lush is that they don't contain SLS or palm oil.

I've also got mesh bags that I take to the supermarket for loose fruit & veg. I use an EcoEgg in my washing machine instead of buying liquid or whatever, BUT there's just me & my stuff never gets that dirty.

That wild-sage co looks great. I love the look of the soap for Calais.

I will try the ethical living thread next!

My hair seems to love the shampoo bar & I'm working my way through the soaps. Cinnamon & shea butter at the moment

Try The Friendly Soap Company for shampoo and soap. No plastic at all in the packaging and it's palm oil free.

Also try Splosh for your cleaning supplies. You buy the bottled products once and then buy the refills. You send the packaging back via freepost and they recycle 95% of it. And I can recommend their washing powder especially. It's so concentrated you literally need about a teaspoon full for a full load.

I've signed this petition.
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/222715
Require supermarkets to offer a plastic-free option for all their fruit & veg.

Thanks for the link Cachailleacha

Signed the petition. It's so frustrating when the cheapest veg is in plastic

Some good ideas here: www.babipur.co.uk/eco-living-home.html

And here: yesbebe.co.uk/58-eco-home-living/

Have you tried beeswax food wraps instead of clingfilm? There are sandwich bags too for pack lunches. It adds a kind of vintage feel too - v chic. Try PollyBeeWraps on etsy www.etsy.com/uk/shop/PollyBeeWraps?ref=seller-platform-mcnav

I am trying to do the same but it is a struggle however one place that I found is good is Kodak, they recycle any ink cartridges you buy ( from anywhere ) when you order from them they send you free return delivery sticker you stick your old ones in the box that your new ones came in and send them back they are a bit more expensive then getting them from the shops but I think it's worthwhile.

When it comes to coffee I noticed a while ago a lot of manufacturers were selling pouches to refill your jar and this may be the case with other things but as far as I'm aware the pouches themselves weren't recyclable ( feel free to correct me if I'm wrong ) but glass jars are although I am not sure about the lids so if I drank instant coffee I would still by the glass jars. I only drink ground coffee which still comes in pouches but last much longer.
Don't get me started on pod type coffee machines they must be the worst thing for the environment invented recently..

Radox do bath salts in a cardboard box rather than plastic bottled bubble bath stuff

I use soap powder and always have done and never really got the whole liquid thing.

Try to avoid buying aspirin paracetamol etc in blister packs they can easily be found in tubs and usually work out cheaper, the tubs can then be used for storing small things in, craft items or such like

Has anybody found a toothpaste product that they like that doesn't come in plastic tube

God that was a long rambling post !

@Angie169

The coffee pods are wasteful but I think some companies are cottoning on. Caffeluxe make their pods from the same plastic as yogurt pots do at least they're recyclable. Not ideal I know, but it's a bit better.

Also I buy my washing powder from Splosh whose refills come in a home compostable pouch. Hopefully other manufacturers will start using similar materials for their pouched items.

Some great recommendations on this thread, thinking of trying a shampoo bar when it looks like my current shampoo is close to running out. The Friendly Soap Company looks very reasonably priced.

girlandboy

you are right it is good to know that some company's are putting some effort into getting / using recyclable materials .

I am curious about the shampoo bar , do you rub the bar directly onto your head or can you get enough lather up in your hands first ? I am not sure I fancy rubbing it the bar onto my head , I have thick longish hair and I think the bar would look like a giant furball after Id used it

I'm just finishing my last bit of the clingfilm roll and moving on to foil. Can't see anything that can't be wrapped and stored like that and at least it can go in recycling.
And making a better use of my plastic tubs!

One thing at a time and go from there. We started with water bottles and went from there. No more cling film and freezer bags. Then shower gel. No fruit in plastic bags so I buy it loose and it rolls all over the checkout. Step by step.

Look at reusable sanpro. Cloth pads or a menstrual cup.

Beeswax food wraps are easy to make as a replacement for cling film.

Do you need backup with a menstrual cup? Any cheap recommendations for cloth pads? Currently pads only costing £2 for three months.