The planet is only ours on loan and it is vital for future generations that we look after it. Change doesn't have to happen overnight - small, gradual changes are the key to long term results. In this post you will find 38 easy eco friendly and sustainable swaps that will help you to reduce your plastic use and reduce your carbon footprint and environmental impact.
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Jump to:
- 1. Safety razors
- 2. Toothpaste tablets
- 3. Soap
- 4. Washable Wipes & Sanitary-ware
- 5. Homemade and refillable cleaning products
- 6. Eco Friendly Cleaning Utensils
- 7. Homemade and refillable beauty products
- 8. Food storage
- 9. Use plastic free toilet paper
- 10. Cook from scratch
- Shop these sustainable swaps...
- 💬 Comments
For the last couple of years, since watching the documentary War on Plastic, I have been committed to reducing the amount of single use plastic we consume in our home. Before I watched this documentary I wouldn't have thought too much about what I was consuming and wasting. I have been doing lots of research into reducing the amount of plastic we use in our home, making conscious and ethical purchases and trying to educate myself to do better, so that my children learn by example. I have actually found the process quite fun and interesting and not nearly as difficult as I worried it might be so I thought I would share with you 10 easy eco friendly swaps.
These plastic free swaps are genuinely quite easy sustainable swaps to make. We have a large family and cost and time are both considerations that it is important for us to be able to balance. Some plastic free swaps can work out more expensive, but I have found that they often balance with other eco friendly swaps that actually work out cheaper. I have made more changes than the ones I highlight here but I thought that these are some of the easiest changes you can make if you are new to looking at reducing your single use plastic use.
Many of these plastic free swaps I have made are in the bathroom. I looked into our bathroom and really saw the sea of plastic for what it was. My aim is to significantly reduce all of that.
1. Safety razors
I have always used disposable razors, without much thought as to the waste. I have swapped to a safety razor which works just as well and will save me money in the long run. You simply change the blade (it's easy to do) and the blades are really cheap, significantly cheaper than buying disposable razors.
2. Toothpaste tablets
I watched an episode of Maddie's Do You Know where they showed a toothpaste factory that makes 1 million tubes of toothpaste every day. That is an astounding amount of single-use plastics. I hadn't heard very good things about toothpaste tablets but I thought I might as well give them a try and I love that they have no plastic packaging. To be honest, they take a little getting used to but now that I am used to them I am perfectly happy to continue using them. They aren't suitable for the younger children because you have to chew them but my 6 year old can manage them well so I would say they are suitable for ages 6 and up. While you are at it, swap your plastic toothbrushes for eco friendly bamboo ones which is a really small change to make that could make a big difference towards more sustainable living.
3. Soap
We've turned away from shower gel and the like in favour of good old fashioned bar soap. Except for that soap is so much better now so it's a really great option! I buy some gorgeous soaps from Lush that smell absolutely divine, as well as from other brands such as *Faith in Nature which you can pick up in mainstream shops such as Boots or bigger supermarkets. A great way to use soap is with a sisal bag in the shower and it gives an extra exfoliation element. You can simply put the sisal bags in the washing machine with your towels whenever you change soaps. I have even discovered a fantastic shaving soap to use with my safety razor. Just make sure that the soap that you are buying isn't packaged in plastic wrap!
When you are ready to combat the other plastic single-use items in your bathroom take a look at shampoo bars and conditioner bars. I have found that the ones from Lush are lovely and there are new products coming out all the time.
4. Washable Wipes & Sanitary-ware
I have always used washable baby wipes on my little ones when at home and they must have saved me so much money, and with having four children, they have undoubtedly saved many thousands of baby wipes from landfill and are one of the easiest zero waste swaps. I buy *cheeky wipes and use a homemade baby wipe solution and this has served me well for the past 14 years. I have also stopped buying paper towels, instead using the *bamboo cloth squares as cloths for wiping faces and hands and mopping up spills in the kitchen and using cloth napkins at the dinner table - this is a really easy swap. I have made my own cleaning cloths from old towels and spare fabric and I also use *washable make up remover wipes, which means I don't buy cotton wool anymore. Each one of these things is one of many small steps to moving to a more sustainable lifestyle.
A few years ago I also made an overhaul of what I was using as sanitary-ware. The amount of plastic and non-biodegradable waste I was producing whilst I was on my period didn't sit well with me. Just make a few changes and you too can have plastic free periods. I swapped over to using a menstrual cup and also have discovered washable period pants which have been a game changer. I use the mooncup and period pants together on heavier days, and on lighter days or when I am expecting my period I wear the period pants on their own. You can also buy or even make your own re-useable sanitary pads.
5. Homemade and refillable cleaning products
Another huge source of plastic in our home was in our cleaning cupboard. I had so many different bottles of products, all full of chemicals and I used to use several at a time so I had no idea how they reacted with each other. I have been busy using all these up and trying different options for reduced chemical and refillable products. There are lots of cleaning products that are easy to use and make being eco-friendly quite simple. For washing laundry I have been using *Smol products. I really rate their laundry capsules - they arrive through the letterbox in plastic free packaging and they contain fewer chemicals but still wash really well, definitely on par with my old laundry detergent. I am also using their super concentrated fabric conditioner. I really like this product as it doesn't contain animal fat like other fabric conditioners and it has proved gentle on my little one's skin. You post the bottles back to Smol to recycle.
I have really been enjoying making my own cleaners. I have made a natural fabric spray and a multi surface cleaner which I make and keep in these *amber glass bottles. I also buy the *Ocean Saver refills which I find work really well and are great value without having lots of harsh chemicals.
I also bulk buy a refill bottle of washing up liquid and decant it into a soap dispenser I keep by the sink. I use Bio D washing up liquid. I use the Smol dishwasher tablets too, which work on the same basis as their laundry capsules.
A great alternative to dryer sheets is to keep a pile of fabric scraps handy and drop a couple of drops of essential oils onto one and throw it into the tumble dryer with everything else to be dried. Lavender is lovely for this. These Of course, to be more eco-friendly you would try to line dry as much as you can or use an indoor airer.
6. Eco Friendly Cleaning Utensils
As well as replacing our cleaning products, I have also been looking at the utensils we use to clean. I found a wooden dish brush and non-scratch *coconut scourers which we have been using and haven't found any problems, although I will say that they have taken a bit of getting used to.
I have sensitive hands so I always like to wear rubber gloves for cleaning and washing up and my pair recently got a hole in so I did some research and found these If You Care Household gloves which I am going to try out. They come in plastic free packaging and use responsibly sourced rubber.
7. Homemade and refillable beauty products
We have a long way to go in reducing our single use plastic use where beauty products are concerned but we have started to make some changes.
I have swapped to soap dispensers for hand wash and shampoo and conditioner. I bought these dispensers cheaply from Ikea and bulk buy liquid products to fill them up with, using much less single use plastic. This works for us as we are a large family and we have the space to store the refills but for a smaller family I would advise you to take a look for your local zero waste shop where you will be able to take your containers in to be refilled.
These are the refill products I have been using...
I have also been making our own body butter. I have a post and YouTube video planned sharing the recipe and how we make it if you are interested. My children love helping me make this and love choosing which essential oils to put in it.
Like I said, we still have a long way to go in this section, I need to find a skincare brand that works and is more natural and plastic free, as well as make up etc. It's a work in progress finding sustainable swaps that work well, and that is ok.
8. Food storage
I have updated our food storage system so that we are no longer using plastic tubs or cling film. This is saving us money as I don't need to add cling film to the grocery shop every couple of weeks. I invested in some glass storage containers from Ikea and use these for storing large amounts of leftovers and chopped fruit etc. I also save and reuse glass jars and use those for storage too. I can't believe I didn't do this before as it is totally free! I just label them with sticky labels so I know what is in there and the date. These are just small changes but they add up to make a big difference.
I also use *beeswax wraps to cover food that is leftover on plates or in bowls in place of cling film. This means we don't have food waste and also aren't using single use plastic. You can also use these to wrap sandwiches in lunchboxes. I also use reusable *silicone sandwich bags in the children's lunchboxes for snacks and sandwiches.
As a family we all use a reusable water bottle and take them wherever we go. We haven't bought plastic bottles when out and about for years now so this is one of our best sustainable swaps. I prefer to buy a stainless steel water bottle rather than plastic water bottles as I find that they last longer and it is one less piece of plastic going to landfill when you are finished with it.
Don't forget your reusable coffee cup for when you are visiting coffee shops for a takeaway drink. Pack your reusable straws too so you don't need to use a plastic straw and you will avoid taking anything disposable away with you. If you are a tea drinker, consider using a reusable tea strainer and stop using single use teabags as these often contain microplastics.
If you have any food scraps that can't be saved don't throw them into the bin, food items like this can be placed into a compost bin and you can use the compost in the garden.
9. Use plastic free toilet paper
Changing your brand of toilet paper is a really easy way to cut out some single use plastic use and a great easy eco-friendly swaps. Who Gives A Crap will deliver toilet roll to your house and it is wrapped in paper rather than plastic therefore eliminating plastic waste. One of my friends even uses the paper the toilet roll is wrapped in to wrap gifts as it has some great patterns and she is passionate about avoiding waste.
10. Cook from scratch
Cooking from scratch is one of the best ways that you can reduce your plastic use and is one of the best sustainable swaps that you can make. If you buy fresh fruit and vegetables instead of processed and packaged foods you will be throwing much less single use plastic in the bin. Cooking from fresh is so much better for your families health too. If you have a busy lifestyle and you don't know how you will manage this, you could try starting with one or two days a week or batch cooking or setting up the slow cooker in the morning before you leave for work. Try to pick loose fruit and vegetables in your local supermarket or grocery store, choose packaging free supplies from your zero waste shop or use your local greengrocer and take along your own reusable bags instead of using plastic bags.
I hope that you found this post to be jam packed with plastic free swaps and reusable alternatives to everyday items you might have in your home, and that you found the ideas useful. You don't have to use all of them, but remember even making one change can make a huge difference as every little bit adds up.
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