Using less plastic at home.

[loubielou31]

What have you done at home that has worked and you have stuck with to reduce your plastic use?
Inspired by a Guardian article (that I now can't find) for simple ways to reduce plastic use in the home. The Guardian list had things like metal water bottles and wooden cooking utensils.
Also what have you tried that was a disaster. Hoping to get good tips from other mumsnetters.

Owning a dog is especially non environmentally friendly when it comes to plastic and toxins. Flea treatment goes into the water. No amount of filters will remove it in the system. Plus dog owners tend not to remove reproductive organs.

No, I use a rag to dust inside. And car washes do exist for those without drives or external taps...

I have no idea whether you have any natural/ethical shops near you, but our local ones offer re-fillable Faith in Nature shampoo and conditioner, laundry liquid, etc. I do quite like the odd shampoo bar, but I'm yet to find a suitable conditioner bar for my hair.

Deodorant... I've tried some eco-deodorant in a glass jar. It works well enough, but left coloured spots under my arms on pale clothes instead (orange ones, if you're interested). You can also get toothpaste in a jar (e.g. Georganics). Some of the latter taste a bit odd in comparison to normal toothpaste!

I use bar soap rather than bottles of hand soap or shower gel.

I have a re-fillable water bottle for work. I very rarely buy any drinks in bottles.

I am having laser hair removal, in the hope that I never have to bother buying disposable razors for the rest of my life!

I use re-usable sandwich bags (e.g. for fish fillets to put in the freezer).

I buy giant boxes of laundry powder, and tubs of dishwasher powder, rather than using pods, but that's my preference as I don't seem to run out so often.

Food scraps tend to go to my pets, or if necessary, on the compost heap. The bin people don't collect food caddies this far out.

I'm trying to grow more of my fruit and vegetables, which would mean less plastic usage. Fortunately, the tortoise is rather partial to dandelion leaves, which are in abundance for several months of the year!

Dog food bags are non-negotiable, but they do come in 15 kilo sacks, which are re-purposed as my bin bags for a while! We live very rurally, and rarely come across other dogs, so I don't tend to administer flea treatments very often (i.e. only if we're likely to come into contact with other dogs). My dogs might not seem like an eco-friendly choice, but they are working dogs and they make my job so much easier! They're also good company.

Milk comes from the farm (I realise that this is unattainable for most people, and many would baulk at taking it straight from the tank, but we know our cows, the testing that the milk goes through, and we're not dead yet). Cow manure is in plentiful supply for the garden. I used to get free eggs, too, until the chickens went to live elsewhere. I'd like to keep poultry in future.

I need to get my breadmaker out, grow more food, and do more cooking from scratch, but after an 80 hour week, having to think about gardening and cooking is a bit beyond me 😣

We use the market for fruit and veg - no plastic there!
Use bars of soap
Laundry powder in cardboard box
Turn the shower off when washing hair, conditioning, and soaping up
Do less laundry, we wear things for longer
Reuse bottles by using the refill service
Use our own takeaway cups
Water bottles are metal
We don't buy upfs
Use vinted when I need something 'new'
Lots of other tweaks, we cycle where we can, and other stuff.

I honestly believe there is little hope for the planet, the consumption of single use plastic, clothing etc hasn't really reduced, and there honestly seems little impetus for it to reduced . . .

Do any of the soda stream users drink Pepsi max, or similar. Fizzy drinks are probably the bulk of our plastic/can use in our house.

We’ve always had the milkman. It’s more expensive, but quite apart from no plastic bottles, it’s very convenient. Can also order a lot of other items before 9pm the night before delivery. (3 times a week.)

Only bar soap in the bathroom.

And I stopped some years ago using anything but powder in a cardboard packet for the laundry, and no conditioner, except occasionally for the odd handwashing of woollens.
I won’t buy any foodstuff in squeezy plastic if it’s also available in glass or a tin, e.g. mayonnaise and Golden Syrup.

And we only buy bottled water once in a blue moon.

I am fairly sure most people have a bucket and a old towel/ cloth of some sort for cleaning both the inside and outside of a car.

We don't have a drive way or outdoor tap. Car is washed with bucket and sponge( infrequently). In side is done with duster or damp cloth. No need for wipes.

Use a rag - it's what we used to do 50 years ago 🙄

@ClaredeBear I like ethical consumer but when there are so many considerations it can all feel very overwhelming. And everyone has different ethical priorities. Pet ownership has a high environmental footprint, having (more) children has a high environmental footprint, owning a car, the type of holidays, whether you eat meat...
Reducing household plastic use feels like something that everyone can do, individual motivation might be carbon reduction concern or from a microplastic or ocean plastic concern, but it's a good first step to a more informed shopper.

Yes, it can be overwhelming. I just pick the products that scores highest out of 100 - or at least the one I can get hold of relatively easily, because often the top products are a bit of a faff to buy.

Yes true. I don’t own any pets myself. What’s the thing about reproductive organs?

It's spaying and neutering.

Oh wow. That’s not been my experience and I pick up on that as it’s really irresponsible. Vast majority around here get that sorted for sure.

It's Method Concentrated Surface Cleaner

Ooh, I like method products. But haven't seen concentrated versions, I will look out for it. Thanks.

I think I got it in Sainsburys originally but a quick look online doesn't show it, however it is on Amazon. One bottle has lasted ages.

I use this for deodorant
https://saltoftheearthnatural.com/collections/crystal-deodorant/products/plastic-free-deodorant

It really works. Note it prevents odour, not sweating, so I still sweat, but don’t smell.

Our canvas and metal shopping basket is 25 years old next year. It came with a couple of canvas shoppers/ shopping bags. We always get asked about them. We got it from Tchibo. I've only ever seen one other like it. Two complete strangers stopped to talk to each other because of their shopping baskets.

We have canvas, washable shopping bags (the real bags for life) in each of our backpacks,, in the car boots and in travel bags. That and net bags for fruit and veg. We have a cool bag for freezer and chilled foods. I try to buy loose product, but supermarkets are not always helpful.

We have a drawer for our water & drinks bottles (we've used sistema previously. Just ordered Ion8 for a more grownup option for our 17 y.o) , our coffee/tea metal and glass travel cups and thermos /contigo' for hot drinks. We have a collection of insulated carriers (Coleman) for picnics and trips.

We use silicon bowl/pot covers that also cover cut fruit surfaces (so don't use cling or foil). We tried waxed fabric a few times and couldn't get the hang of it. We use reusable silicon bags and glass pyrex dishes (with silicon lids) for food storage including in the freezer. Also we have lock 'n' lock rectangular tubs and lids that are close on 15 years old.
We use plates/silicon microwave dish lid for reheating in the microwave.

I collect and use containers to help separate recycling.

I buy bulk containers (10l) packs of concentrate such as for hand soap. The containers are rotable. I do the same for ketchup, soy and some dry food ingredients which are sold in a paper lined (food safe) bulk boxes.

Stainless Steel pots and pans, wooden or silicone cooking utensils.

I try to buy bulk food. It turns out cheaper per 100g. And Waste Not Shops are wonderful in principle, but unaffordable, as well.

I used to carry tupperware to get in-store baked pastries, but that was in the heady days pre-pandemic. It's not gone back to that option yet. I'm waiting for local stores to make dispensers the norm. I still carry tupperware, in case.

There's so much that's challenging - lots of food that is in plastic packaging - biscuits, chocolate, etc. So all of this gets put in to a big bag, compressed down and taken back to store once a year or so.

Still feel very guilty for not doing enough.

Yes I didn't really understand that comment, I thought most people did get their pets "fixed up".