Energy and non-renewable resources are wasted making many things that have an extremely short lifespan. If you invest in quality reusable products made from sustainable resources, you will have them for a long time and they’ll help you on your journey to lower impact living!
Single-use plastics suck. I used to feel so much guilt for using plastic, until I found these alternatives and other ways to avoid the sneaky single use plastic society makes us think we need. I am happier without them and their replacements made of natural, renewable materials are healthier for you, me, and the planet.
All these everyday swaps add up – if we all can act on these ways to reduce our reliance on plastic we can make a big difference to the amount of waste accumulating in landfills, emitting greenhouse gases and polluting our environment. Wouldn’t you like to be part of the solution?
Here are my favorite 7 swaps that help me live a low-waste lifestyle.
1) Refuse plastic bags! Get sturdy reusable bags and choose things that come unwrapped. Look for produce that isn’t wrapped and to maximize your planet saving powers, select produce that is grown locally in season, that reduces your carbon footprint!
2) Assemble a Zero Waste Kit! Ideally this includes a refillable drink bottle, reusable takeaway container, durable coffee cup & a set of cutlery wrapped in a linen cloth/napkin
3) Use beeswax wraps! Ditch cling film wrap and ziploc bags and plastic tupperware for your food and use this 100% compostable option. These wraps are organic cotton coated in a combination of wax, resin and oil. You can clean them easily with a warm soapy cloth.
4 ) Use bars of soap! Ban the bottle, go back to the bar! I love my conditioner & shampoo bars, face ‘beauty’ bars and homemade cold press soaps and I really like to store my shower soaps in the block dock pictured in the cover photo of this post! If you have ever experienced soggy bars of soap – you know the importance of drying them out to make them last.
5) Get a bamboo toothbrush and try brushing with baking soda – or look for toothpaste tabs! Most affordable ‘bamboo brushes’ still have plastic, non-natural bristles but at least there is way less plastic used to make one of these! I am sure eventually I’ll be able to find a hundred percent compostable toothbrush but the ones I have have nylon bristles and so after I’ve repurposed my toothbrush for cleaning I remove the bristles and put in garden to mark & label rows of seeds I’ve planted.
Toothpaste was one of my last plastic free swaps. I love having minty fresh breath and to be frank, that’s hard to get naturally! I have also tried a natural baking soda & coconut oil toothpaste which I wasn’t hugely fond of and just baking soda didn’t float my boat… but there is other options out there! I have even tried making my own mouthwash using cloves to make up for the lack of minty fresh clean feeling I had with the baking soda… but you have to keep many homemade products refrigerated which is slightly inconvenient. The winning combo for me has been Poppack toothpaste and mouthwash tablets, toothpaste tablets are becoming increasingly popular, become a trendsetter!
6) Start a jar collection! Buy things in glass jars over plastic and when the bulk buy stores open up again you’ll be ready! I have collected a wide diversity of jars over the past 2 years of my journey to lower waste living, you don’t need to go out and buy them, but I have found some nice big ones at second hand shops!
7) Switch to a Safety Razor! I cannot believe how much waste is created just from razors even with ‘reusable handles’ the replacement heads and the packaging create so much rubbish! I’ve had my stainless steel Albatross razor many months and it should last me many more years! There are several razor design options out there (I chose the butterfly-opening type) and companies that have razor blade return programs like CaliWoods, that are helping make sure these blades get to the right place to be recycled!
