There is 150 million tonnes of plastic in the world’s oceans and it’s not a figure that’s decreasing. By 2025 that figure is set to treble. No wonder more and more brands are paying attention and providing plastic-free alternatives to consumers. Whether you’re transitioning into a zero waste lifestyle or trying to lower your impact on the planet there are now plenty of low waste and plastic-free alternatives to make your home more sustainable. You might think that going plastic free might require a substantial investment but long term you can actually save a ton of money. A few swaps can make a big difference on the waste you’re producing at home, so I wanted to share some of my favourite zero waste products to make the switch far easier. Of course, you don’t need to buy anything in order to live a zero waste lifestyle, in fact I encourage you to start with what you already have at home! But over time many of these items will be a good alternative to things you regularly purchase.

Household

REUSABLE KITCHEN TOWELS

Swap paper towels for kitchen towels you can chuck in the washing machine and use again and again. Plus they look way cooler. These Leave No Trace Reusable Kitchen Roll come in different colours and have little poppers to secure to your holder.

Reusable Tuperware

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Firstly, if you ever get takeaways…keep the boxes the food comes in. They make the perfect leftover containers and you don’t need to purchase anything new. Alternatively choose plastic-free containers to store leftovers like tins from Elephant Box (pictured above) or Biova Bamboo Containers.

BOWL COVERS

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Around 800,642 km2 of plastic wrap is produced each year, which is enough to shrink wrap the UK 3 times over. Designed for repeated use I only recently discovered these adorable food covers. You can use them for covering leftovers in the fridge or bowls of food that can be left on the countertops. These are from Reusable Helen Round Linen Bowl Covers but you can buy similar covers from places like Etsy.

SILICONe ZIP BAGS

Silicon bags can be used for cooking, freezing, dishwasher and microwaving. These Yuggen Silicon Bags are made out of sand derived food-grade silicone (non-toxic), 100% airtight and leak-proof.

Insulated Water bottle

Creating a more sustainable lifestyle can be as easy as carrying your own reusable water bottle around so that you don’t need to buy single use plastic bottles from the store. My favourite is the Contigo Water Bottle.

ECO TRAVEL MUG

I can’t tell you how much I love by Contigo Travel Mug. It’s completely leak and spill-proof. It has a really clever lock that makes sure the button doesn't get accidentally pushed while you are out and about. I use this for my morning coffee, and the double-wall vacuum insulation means your coffee stays piping hot up to 5 hours or icy cold up to 12. Don’t forget that lots of coffee shops now offer discount if you bring your own mug.

REUSABLE CUTLERY SET

I just think this cutlery set from Saasustainable is so cute. I take mine if i’m going out for the day and know I’ll be getting lunch out on the go. Rather than using any disposable cutlery that they might provide I can use my own. No need for waste!

REUSABLE STRAWS

In England, it is estimated that annually we use 4.7 billion plastic straws and over 100,000 sea mammals die from eating and getting tangled in plastic waste. These Organically Epic Bamboo Reusable Straws are sustainable and zero waste and they are compostable. If you’d rather metal straws try these Stainless Steel Straws.

WAFFLE CLOTHS

Give plastic based kitchen cloths a miss and pick up some biodegradable cotton cloths. They are highly absorbent, biodegradable and reusable. Pictured above are Tabitha Eve Waffle Cotton Cloths.

No waste tip! Got an old t shirt that you’ve been meaning to get rid of? Don’t chuck it. Instead cut it up into squares for super sustainable kitchen dish cloths.

ECO EGG

Perfect for sensitive skin this Ecoegg Laundry Egg replaces your traditional detergent and fabric conditioner. They are free from harmful chemicals and help to reduce single use plastic.

REFILLABLE CLEANING ECODROPS

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Plant-based, non-toxic cleaning drops that you add with water to either an old kitchen spray container or your own refillable bottles (see below). A typical cleaning brand sells you 90% water. Sending just one truck of OceanSaver to a supermarket is the equivalent of 12 trucks of a leading competitor brand. ‘Plastic saved. Carbon emissions saved. Oceans saved.’

Refillable spray bottles

For most of my liquid soaps (shampoo, hand wash, cleaning products, washing up liquid etc.) I bought some refillable glass bottles from Kuishi. You can also change up the lid for spray, pumps and screw caps depending on what you want to store. These are also perfect for housing any home made products you might have created (Check out my DIY Cleaning Product Recipes and DIY Natural Beauty Hacks.) I then purchased a Home Embossing Label Maker to make labels to go on the bottles.

vegan beeswax wraps

Swap the clingfilm for reusable wax wraps like Vegan Food Wraps. I use mine for things like wrapping up sandwiches for picnics and lunches. Now I know they aren’t cheap but they can definitely save you money in the long term considering you pay £2-£4 for a pack of clingfilm and these can last over a year (even longer if you buy a refresher block).

SILiCONe MATS

Reusable Silicone Baking Mats have been such a waste saver for me. Parchment paper is made from paper, but treated with an acid during production to give it heat resistance, which is then coated with a non-stick material. It isn’t recyclable, or compostable... and will ultimately end up in landfill. Rather than using a new piece of baking paper each time you need to cook something on a non-stick surface you can wash and reuse these instead. Perfect for baking cookies, pizza or pastries!

NATURAL PLASTIC FREE CLEANING BRUSHES

Traditional dishwashing brushes can be wasteful as they aren’t usually made with longevity in mind. Bamboo based dish brushes however are plastic free and made from bamboo. These ones from Green Island Bamboo Dish Washing Brush have a replaceable head have a replaceable head so replace and put the old one right in the compost bin as it has been made using biodegradable plant-based fibre bristles.

cotton FOOD BAGS

Food bags like these Organic Cotton Mesh Bags are perfect to take with you on your weekly shops to replace the plastic bags supplied at the veg counters. You can easily separate your fruit and vegetables for weighing and carrying.

GLASS CONTAINERS

Glass storage containers are perfect for filling with grains, pastas and oats that you can buy from your refill store.

Tip! Try collecting old jars from things like pickles and sauces. They can be reused as either storage containers or things like leftover soup.

REFILLABLE WASHING UP LIQUID

Grab yourself a refillable bottle that you can fill with natural eco-friendly washing up liquid like Fill Eco Friendly Refillable Washing Up Liquid. Make sure it’s also biodegradable. Less chemicals, less plastic, less waste.

TOILETERIES

BAMBOO TOOTHBRUSH

Think how much plastic you could save if you swapped your plastic tooth brush for bamboo brushes. Sick of throwing away plastic toothbrushes every few months? Try these Made Eco Bamboo Toothbrushes.

REFILLABLE DEODERANT

I was sent a Wild Refillable Natural Deodorant stick a few months ago and been hooked ever since. They are 100% plastic free with combustible refills, cruelty free and aluminium free. You can pick the colour and fragrance of the deodorant (rose, orange zest, bergamot, mint or coconut) and it actually works! For 10% off your first order use code AFFXY10. I also love Salt of The Earth Natural Deodorant as it is cruelty free, natural and you can pick up refills.

PLASTIC-FREE RAZOR

In 2018 approximately 5.5 billion people in the UK were using disposable razors. That’s a lot of plastic going in the bin and why I swapped my disposable razor for a zero-waste and resuable alternative, like the Shoreline Shaving Metal Razor. With a solid metal handle and stainless head that fits all double edged blades, if you want to shave plastic-free this how to do it. Plus, they come in four really cute colours. You’ll save the environment, save money in the long run and get a closer shave. Win-win-win!

BAMBOO EARBUDS

It's estimated that in England we throw away 1.8 billion plastic-stemmed cotton buds every day, 10% of which are flushed down toilets and can end up in waterways and oceans. Swap out the plastic ear buds you buy at the supermarket for some natural bamboo and cotton cotton swaps from Hydrophil. If you want to go one step further, try reusable earbuds made out of medical-grade silicone. Designed in Cardiff, EcoSlurps have designed this premium reusable cotton bud product as a long-lasting alternative to bamboo cotton buds.

SHOWER POUFFE

Perfect for exfoliation this Leave No Trace Bath & Shower Pouffe is made from cotton which means rather than throwing away like the plastic versions you can just throw it in the washing machine and it will be as good as new.

COTTON dental FLOSS

Trade up your dental regime with some plastic-free zero waste dental floss from The White Teeth Company made from corn, candillia wax and mint essential oil and one of the first vegan-friendly and cruelty-free dental flosses available in the UK. Corn straw isn't harmful to your gums like nylon and the floss gently massages the gums, and protects against gingivitis & bad breath, pulling out toxins and odour's.

WATER PICK

Water Flosser’s are great if you want to find something completely reusable for your daily flossing routine. This gadget uses a high pressure water pulse 1400-1800 times/min, to remove 99.99% food residue hidden deep and massage the gum to promote blood circulation.

TOOTH TABLETS

Regular toothpaste is made from a mixture of different plastics and generally speaking not recyclable. Try a plastic free alternative to toothpaste with refillable toothpaste tablets like these Brushd Toothpaste Tablets.

BAMBOO PLASTERS

These Plastic-Free Bamboo Plasters are free from irritating chemicals and are the the first vegan & organic bamboo plasters in the UK. They are made with soft organic bamboo fibre, with coconut oil gauze enriched with aloe vera extract to help repair and soothe burns, blisters and minor abrasions. The packaging is made from recycled cardboard, the individual sterile wrappers from rice paper and biodegradable paper, and the tabs that cover the plaster itself are made from rice paper too! Some stellar eco-credentials right there.

MENSTRuAL CUP

Every year, over 45 billion feminine hygiene products are disposed of globally. Each individual will use more than 11,000 disposable sanitary products in a lifetime. So you can see why moving towards one reusable product for your feminine hygiene can substantially reduce your waste. I’ve been using mine for years and I’d never use anything else now. It’s made from soft, medical-grade silicone you can’t feel even it’s there. You only need one Mooncup or Organi Cup and it pays for itself after 6-8 months – you’re then saving that monthly spend on sanitary protection.

PERIOD PANTS

My favourite brand of period pants is Wuka. They are super soft, comfy and made from eco-friendly materials. They come in different shapes and include absorbent, leakproof & breathable mid-layers to keep you dry. Wear, wash, reuse, all you need do is choose your style.

MENSTRuAL PADS

If you’re not quite sold on the period pants, but hate the waste involved in regular liners try these reusable Oflo Reusable Sanitary Pads handmade in Bristol using organic cotton and bamboo fleece. They come in different sizes to suit your body and are designed made using carefully considered, chemical-free fabrics and are completely plastic-free (including packaging). Not forgetting you’ll save money in the long-term.

SHAVING FOAM BAR

Shaving bars are so so easy to use and can really reduce your waste if you compare them to traditional shaving foam bottles. This bar from UK brand Ethique is 100% plastic free with compostable packaging, and you can even use it as shampoo.

SHAMPOO BAR

Lush do a huge range of different shampoo bars for different hair types. They are plastic free, cruelty free and can save a hell of a lot of plastic from shampoo & conditioner bottles.

PLASTIC FREE TOILET ROLL

I’ve been buying these in bulk for a while now. Who Gives A Crap are B Corp™ certified for the highest standards of social and environmental impact. They don't use any inks, dyes or scents and they also donate 50% of profits to help build toilets. So far they’ve donated over £4.5 million to help provide proper sanitation for 2 billion people in need. Surprisingly they are also not any more expensive than your average supermarket toilet roll brand, as their rolls are double length.

COTTON PADS

Cotton is thirsty and the production of non-organic cotton is a huge source of environmental pollution. So step away from the make-up wipes and disposable cotton pads and pick up some reusable makeup rounds. They are slowly becoming more and more popular but try Leave No Trace Reusable Make-Up Pads. Plus, you’ll end up saving money from not having to repurchase disposable cotton pads every month.

REUSABLE BABY WIPES

Wet wipes and the environment are not friends. River-cleaning teams in London found that the hundreds of thousands of wet wipes flushed down toilets had actually formed a new riverbed in the Thames. So trade in the disposable baby wipes for reusable cloths like these from Tabitha Eve. The bamboo makes this ridiculously soft, absorbent and it also has natural antibacterial properties.

REUSABLE NAPPIES

250 million single-use nappies are thrown away across the world every day. Every nappy can take up to 500 years to decompose in landfill. TotsBots are the only nappy company to have and their whole range of nappies Oeko-Tex certified (no harmful chemicals) and their make all their nappies here in the UK. They also are the first reusable nappy company in the world to make 100% of their waterproof fabric from plastic bottle waste. Not forgetting that nappies can be expensive; from birth to potty training, disposable nappies will cost around £1,000. Whereas reusable nappies only cost £300. That's a huge saving of £700.

REpurposed BEAUTY

UpCircle are such an inspiring beauty brand. In their first batch of soaps alone they saved 5 tonnes of aromatic chai spices from being thrown away. They are all about quality skincare that gives salvaged natural ingredients a new lease of life. They’ve now transformed more than 250 tonnes of coffee grounds into sustainable, quality beauty products.

FOUNTAIN PEN

Plastic pens can take hundreds of years to decompose so go back in time to school days and swap your plastic biro for a reusable fountain pen like this one from Dryden. Made out of bamboo it comes with a cartridge converter so you don’t need to throwaway cartridges but fill up directly with ink.

WOOD CAT PELLETS

Minimise the impact of your furry friend and choose wood cat litter. I get my wooden cat litter from Pets At Home. Made from 100% natural wood, it is completely biodegradable unlike most traditional cat litters.

IF I HAD TO PICK three PRODUCTs…

I couldn’t live without my Mooncup and Wuka underwear. The stats around sanitary product waste are terrifying but it’s also saving me money each month so it’s a no brainer for me. Oh, and the Silicone Baking Mats are so so useful, especially if you cook and bake a lot like I do.

Think I’ve missed something? I’d love to hear what YOU couldn’t live without since trying a more zero waste lifestyle.

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