Easy Plastic-Free Alternatives
Two of the biggest challenges in cutting down on single-use plastic are a) identifying which products you use contain plastic, and b) knowing what alternatives are available.
It feels like it should be a doddle to identify plastic products, but there are actually quite a lot of things wrapped unnecessarily in plastic or sneaking hidden plastic into our lives (tea bags, anyone?). And sometimes, we’re so used to using something we don’t even think about the fact it’s made from pointless plastic. Remember how many carrier bags everyone used to get through before the restrictions were brought in?
So to help you out, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most common plastic products that you can easily get rid of. Where What Plastic stocks the alternative, we’ve stuck a link in so you can easily add it to your shopping cart. For everything else, search online for the product (and let us know if it’s something you’d like to see us stocking in future!).
Don't buy this... |
...buy this instead! |
Cling film |
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Coffee pods |
Coffee beans or instant coffee |
Cotton buds |
Ones that are actually made from cotton! |
Dental floss |
Eco-friendly floss |
Disposable nappies |
Reusable cloth nappies |
Face sponge |
Body loofah or nothing! |
Firelighters |
Old beeswax wraps, eco-friendly firelighters in cardboard packaging |
Jay cloths |
Plastic-free reusable cleaning cloths |
Lip balm |
Tin versions |
Liquid and tab laundry detergent |
Powdered laundry detergent, soapnuts, refillable bottles |
Loo roll |
Recycled loo roll wrapped in paper |
Make-up |
Make-up that comes in tins |
Make-up remover wipes |
Reusable cotton pads |
Milk in plastic cartons |
Milk in glass bottles from the milkman |
Plastic bread bags from the supermarket |
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Plastic carrier bag |
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Plastic cutlery |
Metal or bamboo cutlery |
Plastic fruit and veg bags at the supermarket |
Net produce bags, or no bag! |
Plastic water bottle |
Metal or plastic reusable water bottle. OR pick a product in a cardboard carton, can or glass bottle (more easily recycled) |
Sandwich bags |
Beeswax wraps, paper sandwich bags, tupperware / lunchbox (with no wrapper around sandwich) |
Shampoo |
Shampoo bar, refillable shampoo bottles |
Shaving |
Safety razor + blades + soap |
Soap (pump-action) |
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Soaps and scrubs with microbeads |
Plastic-free soap and shampoo bars |
Straws |
Paper, metal, or refuse |
Styrofoam or other disposable cups |
Reusable coffee cup (plastic, bamboo, etc.) |
Takeaway containers |
Reuse the plastic tubs |
Tampons & pads |
Compostable tampons, menstrual cup, reusable pads |
Tea bags |
Plastic-free tea bags or loose leaf tea |
Toothbrush |
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Toothpaste |
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Washing-up scourer |
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Washing-up sponges |
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Wet wipes (for household cleaning) |
Plastic-free reusable cleaning cloths |
Wet wipes (for your face) |
Water! Or a reusable cotton pad |
Wrapping paper |
Without glitter, foil or plasticky bits |