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	Beeswax wraps
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	Net produce bags
Plastic carrier bag	Cotton string bag
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)	Bar soap
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	Bamboo toothbrush
Toothpaste	Toothpaste in a jar
Washing-up scourer	Coconut fibre scrubbing brush
Washing-up sponges	Loofah
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