Ideas to cut down on plastic

[LittleSilverBird]

What have you done/what do you plan to do?

So far I've;

-Stopped buying flavoured fizzy water and now just use squash (I can't stand plain water unfortunately so still squash bottles but I buy huge ones and it's still a vast improvement)!
-Switched to bar shampoo
-Switched to reusable sanitary towels
-Same with make up remover pads
-Bought in bulk (pulses/rice etc)
-Recycle plastic as much as possible and reuse margarine tubs/containers food comes in to store more food or for plants.

I'm not sure what to do next. Probably buy some reusable freezer bags. And try to find a decent conditioner bar same as the shampoo one-but I already bought conditioner in huge bottles to save on plastic use, and still have a lot of that left.

What bar shampoo are you using?

I use bar soaps and reuse empty egg cartons for sowing plant seeds.

I don't buy water or squash anyway. We recycle all our plastic bottles. We use bar soap. I don't wear make up these days, but on the rare occasion I do I use a hot cloth cleanser with a flannel. The specialist shampoo I use only comes in bottles (which I recycle). I also try to buy as little plastic as I can.

Milk deliveries? Means you're no longer using plastic for milk and you're also helping a local milkman. You can find and order it online.

Milk deliveries round her have massively increased since the pandemic started. Unfortunately I can only have lactose free milk and the milkmen round here don't sell it. We are rural so the milk is from local herds.

I bought some reusable freezer / sandwich bags in B&M a couple of weeks ago - 3 for £3! They're not that big but are coming in handy.

I dont usually like bars of soap - I'm in a really hard water area and soap just leaves a horrible residue on my skin and clogs up the drains. However I have discovered a body wash bar by Ethique that is soap free. Their shampoo and conditioner is really good too.

Moved to Smol for laundry capsules, fabric softener and dishwasher tablets.

Get refillable hand wash from Splosh.

• switch to glass jars for condiments eg ketchup, Mayo etc.

• I use The Ordinary skincare, which comes in glass bottles.

• biodegradable tea bags (I assumed teabags could be recycled, but they are sometimes made of plastic).

Milk and more for milk, including alternatives and vegan, some shopping etc - lot of plastic free items

Replace deodorant with natural cardboard packaged- peace with the wild is a great place to shop for plastic free

Shop local, I now use my greengrocers who use tshirt bags I made myself when I pass them over for them to fill - also works out so much cheaper than the big stores!

Refuse carrier bags where possible (at my local market they hand them out on impulse, I always hand them back)

Buy things like mayo etc in glass jars, olive oil etc

Iron & velvet are a Birmingham based small company who do none plastic household cleaning products (anti bac and none anti bac), they are cheap, arrive quickly and smell divine

Toothpaste in glass jars from geoorganics.

If getting veg/fruit loose from sainsburys/asda, use the scales, print the labels and stick them to the outside of a standard carrier bag - you can put several different items into one bag, cashier will just take a look and scan the labels on the bag!

-cashier in sainsburys thought it was the most wonderful, least wasteful thing she had ever seen a customer do. I took it for granted people would be doing the same as me? Apparently not.

Buy tinned or canned items where possible, but not the shrink packaged ones

Buy some reusable tea bags and loose leaf tea (PGs available off the shelf in big supermarkets) - no more plastic in your tea!

Replace plastic razors with reusable ones with blades, tricky to get used to at first but once you get there, you won't let back. It saves a fortune too!

I'm sure there are many more! I'll try and think of any i have missed. Welcome to your plastic free journey... now you've seen it.. you'll never be able to unsee it all!

Just came on to recommend Grumm shampoo bars. I’ve tried others, but these are fab! I haven’t tried the conditioner bar though.

Instead of shower gel, I’m using a seaweed soap from the Cornish Seaweed Soap Co- also fab; moisturising, and smells gorgeous.

Only use bar soaps and bar shampoo. Eco warrior orange and ginger bar soap is perfect for my hair which is straight and fairly fine. Dove bar soaps for washing.

Reusable metal water bottles from Elephant Box. I also have a selection of their lunchboxes, storage containers, and their metal pint tumblers.

We carry our messages home in rucksacks 🎒

I use a menstrual cup (organi cup) which I love!

Buy fruit and veg loose and get meat and fish from butcher and fishmonger to reduce plastic packaging.

I also use Smol, and get my milk delivered in glass bottles.

Oh yes! And I bought a safety razor for me and my partner. The razors cost pennies. I just lather my legs with dove bar soap and it works a treat.

@lockdownshmockdown odd question about the razors: are they suitable for The Lady Garden?
I've got a bamboo toothbrush. Think it's called a Humble Brush. Feels good knowing when i need a new toothbrush, the old bamboo one will degrade quicker than a plastic brush. The dentist always assumes I use an electric one!

So far i use:
Reusable pads and a menstrual cup (when i get used to it!)
A reusable safety razor
A glass jar of face wash from face theory
I use a local reusable small business who deliver glass bottles of shampoo/conditioner/liquid handsoap/shower gel
Use fitpit deodrant in a glass jar

I have a long way to go as dps plastic consumption is gigantic.

[quote Skweeler]@lockdownshmockdown odd question about the razors: are they suitable for The Lady Garden?
I've got a bamboo toothbrush. Think it's called a Humble Brush. Feels good knowing when i need a new toothbrush, the old bamboo one will degrade quicker than a plastic brush. The dentist always assumes I use an electric one![/quote]
@Skweeler

I couldn't say! I go au natural

I don't see why not although I imagine you'd need to take you're time and practise. I remember I used to swish away no bother with disposable Venus razors on my legs and it took me a while to get used to the safety razor. Although now I'm just as quick.

I can imagine that for your skin's sake the disposable razors would be better down there. A safety razor is one blade but the disposables are usually 3 blades. So they cut closer which is better for avoiding ingrown hairs. Well it really depends how much you're shaving. But I find the safety razor perfect for legs and underarms so bikini line would probably be fine, but anything more comprehensive might be irritating for your skin.

I know the question wasnt aimed at me, but I can confirm safety razors are fine for the down below bits, i use mine with lathered soap for those areas, but does take practice!

It took me about a year to get it down to an art! I can go totally bare and in all the complex bits, using a safety razor!

@thefourgp

What bar shampoo are you using?

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-IN-1-SOLID-SHAMPOO-CONDITIONER-SOAP-BARS-VEGAN-FRIENDLY-NO-PLASTIC-/323978059567?pageci=0e78c8a4-9f3f-4a43-ad6e-557d2bb51c49

This one from ebay. Took some getting used to, but now I just wet hair, rub it over top of my head for a few seconds, lather :)

I use hair removal cream down there. I'm not sure how that is environment wise?

Really i want to eventually do a room by room review of what i can replace.

So bedroom- make up i want to find eco friendly alternatives.

Bathroom- shampoo, conditioner, soap, hand soap, shower gel, moisturiser, toner, face wash, tooth paste, dental floss, tooth brushes, flannels instead of cotton pads, deodrant, bubble bath

Kitchen- replace all harsh cleaners with eco friendly alternatives, laundrey powder and detergent and fabric softeners.

Earthkindrewind. Com is an awesome small business to look into. I have started buying more and more bits from her.

Use beeswax wrap instead of clingfilm.

At my Tesco, when the meat and fish counters were open, you could take your own Tupperware container to put produce in so avoiding the plastic wrapping bags.

I've stopped buying cleaning products for limescale and buy white vinegar in a glass bottle. Pour over your tap, hey presto, it's like magic, and works on toilets too.
I use laundry powder in a cardboard box.
We only buy loose veg, so no packaging.
I've pretty much stopped buying clothes. One item in 6 months 😁

After some trial and error, when you find the right shampoo bar for you, it gives a much creamier larger than bottles. I tried conditioner bars for a while and some are lovely but I just don't need them.

Tooth tablets instead of toothpaste. Also, mouthwash tablets are available from Georganics.
I use my bread maker all the time now to avoid buying bread in a plastic wrapper. Have also bought a yoghurt maker to avoid all those hundreds of tiny yoghurt pots I was throwing out.
Always have a small, foldable shopping bag in my handbag.
Pre-covid I would take my own containers to buy fish and meat at the deli counter. Maybe I can do this again one day.
Instead of moisturiser in a plastic bottle I buy Nivea in a tin.
Paper wrapped toilet roll from Who gives a Crap
Paper wrapped chocolate Tony's Chocolenly from Sainsburys. Also slavery-free. Chocolate with a clear conscience!
Loose leaf tea made in a proper teapot. My mother would be so pleased!
Pre-covid I would also carry my own collapsible mug, cutlery and stainless steel straws to avoid all the plastic from cafe takeaways.

Following!
This conditioner is really good for my long hair:
www.theplasticfreeshop.co.uk/conditioner-bar

Instead of buying sandwich bags etc I keep the sealable bags that things like cheese come in, wash them and reuse. They are a much stronger plastic than sandwich/freezer bags, and can be reused many many times before eventually recycling. I also keep the plastic liners from cereal packets. They can be used as they are for storing some things with a clip on the end, or opened up and wrapped around things, or you can sew with them - I've made little pouches for my son to take snacks to school, or wraps for sandwiches - with cotton on the outside and the plastic inside, and a bit of velcro to close.

Also I use Salt of the Earth deodorant which works great, and last forever - I've had mine for a year and it's barely got any smaller.