The War against plastic waste

kboss2010

I’ve started making my own handsoap & refilling plastic
pump bottles & spray bottles. Handsoap is just dissolved olive oil soap bars that come in cardboard boxes with essential oils added. I’ve also bought a 5L tub of washing up liquid & use that diluted in spray bottles with added vinegar. 

I’ve also been keeping glass jars with & without lids to store all kinds of things from small DIY supplies like screws to toothbrushes.

Mummy2cheekymonkeys

Im just trying out a couple of companies for cleaning products. Ive ordered a few items from ocean saver pods for things like all purpose spray and floor cleaner. Unfortunately their range is quite limited at the moment but hopefully they will widen it soon. Then for things they don't do I have just received an order from Splosh. Ive just received this morning some washing up liquid, hand wash and toilet cleaner. Will see what they perform like but was happy with the way everything was packed, No plastic in sight!! 

never_too_old

Mummy2cheekymonkeys said:

Im just trying out a couple of companies for cleaning products. Ive ordered a few items from ocean saver pods for things like all purpose spray and floor cleaner. Unfortunately their range is quite limited at the moment but hopefully they will widen it soon. Then for things they don't do I have just received an order from Splosh. Ive just received this morning some washing up liquid, hand wash and toilet cleaner. Will see what they perform like but was happy with the way everything was packed, No plastic in sight!! 

an online company called Plastic Freedom has a fantastic selection of household items plus a host of other fantastic items.

thenanny2die4

I like the products from Ecoleaf, which I get in my own bottles from my local refill shop.  Before moving to them, my initial change for washing up liquid, was to Splosh (moving away from Ecover, which I'd been using for years, but I couldn't in all conscience fund SC Johnson after the buyout).  I quite liked Splosh but couldn't repeat the first order after I discovered some of the products (including the w/u liquid) contained palm oil derivatives.  I was quite cross about this as, when I bought it, none of the ingredients were listed on their website.  I should have known...  Anyway, I gather they've stopped reusing the pouches, due to reported leakage problems, which is a shame; that policy was what persuaded me to buy it in the first place.

I buy citric acid in cardboard from Wilko for cleaning the loo and descaling the kettle.  Laundry is washed in Mangle & Wringer powder (no fabric conditioner required) and I also get their Natural Bleach (sodium percarbonate), Bette's Bar for laundry stains and Bathroom Balm for cleaning the bathroom.  The M&W products are pretty pricey but they all seem to last for ages.

DigForVictory

Way back I posted various steps towards eco friendly ways.
Today I reviewed.

Carry a reusable bottle [some of the time but C19 means not leaving house much]
Say no to plastic straws [sorted]
Take a reusable coffee cup [ruthlessly. In bag, in car, much helped by discounts but C19 means not leaving house much]

Say no to disposable cutlery [in work bag but C19 means not leaving house much]

Avoid microbeads [ditched that product]
Carry a shopping bag [a folded bag for life each stashed in car door, waterproof pocket & work bag - I have string bags but haven’t completed that leap!]
Give up gum. [didn’t indulge, now on eco grounds]

Purchase food, like cereal, pasta, and rice from bulk bins and fill a reusable bag or container. [Did that anyway, ongoing]

Use loose leaf tea with a tea strainer [Checked, preferred bag brand has gone eco, phew!]

Carry your own containers for for take-out food and leftovers. [space hog, may yet be useful but C19 means not leaving house much] 

Bring your own container for meat and prepared foods. [Again, space hog may yet be useful but C19 means not leaving house much]
Buy fresh bread that comes in either paper bags or no bags. [partial convert as husband picky & his preferred is paper wrapped]

Clean with vinegar and water. [got sister into it as successful vs ants without risking her dogs]

Switch to bar soap instead of liquid soap. [Already - one son buys liquid soap for his use - will try to educate him]

Give up shampoo in plastic bottles. [trying & struggling]

Switch from a plastic razor to a second-hand safety razor. [sons freaked “what if cut artery?”]

Reconsider how you clean your teeth. [have eco brush in eco holder & glass jar toothpaste but it doesn’t feel right or clean]

Use plastic-free feminine hygiene products. [fabric awaiting oomph, shame on me]

Explore plastic-free hair accessories and tools. [Horn comb, bristle brush, metal hairpins, occasional silk hairnet, assorted wood etc hair sticks - eco a pretext for Much Fun!]
Keep your own reusable foodware at the office. [Bowl, mugs, cutlery all in locker, haven’t been there recently but before C19 was devout]
Carry lunches in reusable stainless containers or cloth bags. [er, continuing to use existing plastic sistema cups & maintaining fleet from charity shops, wrapped in linen napkin for table cloth etc when commenting to office, but C19 means not leaving house much ]

Acquire necessary plastic items used instead of new. [all new sistema mugs are new to me]

Learn to preserve foods without plastic. [making own jam into Kilner jars]

Avoid disposable plastic pens. [Started with metal parker jotter biro, extended to fountain pen which uses pump reservoir not cartridges, then bought metal propelling pencil & am hoping husband & son do not exercise “you’re not using it” pretext to snaffle in perpetuity. That they covet will make eco Christmas easier!]

Anyone else on to have a look at what changes made & what to try? (I found having a “wish list” ready meant the questionnaire reward vouchers went to eco products more easily & thus with less guilt over some indulgences!) 

Still a way to go, but an audit can be encouraging!

ailz95

I have bought some net bags of various sizes, they weigh next to nothing and I take them to put fruit and vegetables in rather than using plastic/paper bags from the shop.
I gave up shampoo completely.  Now I just use hot water - with occasional use of bicarbonate of soda (we live in a hard water area)
I carry plastic plates, sets of ss knives and forks, salt and pepper and plastic glasses in the car, we also always have a large bottle of sparkling water in the car (once we open it we move it inside and put another one in the car).  We have a teatowel in the car. 
Carry hand sanitiser - in handbag and car.
Carry a bag for rubbish - tissues etc.

missychrissy

I am so impressed with your dedication DigForVictory. I thought I was doing quite well but I’m not in your league. Like ailz95 I’ve got my own bags for buying veg, I recycle as much as possible and reuse as much plastic as possible. I’ve recently filled some plastic containers (originally filled with fruit from Aldi) with dried ingredients. They have screw tops, pretty airtight and great for the job. I also find the plastic containers that mushrooms sometimes come in are great for storing bits and pieces and also if lined with some shredded tissue paper make a lovely base for a selection of toiletries for presents. They are also useful in kitchen cupboards for holding herbs and spices together. Punctured with holes they can also be used as seed trays over and over again.
I grew up in the fifties and sixties with parents from the ‘make do and mend’ brigade with the ethos that everything has a use. 

greenbee

My plastic consumption is generally low - use the milkman for milk and yogurt in glass, and get most of my food via veg box (if there is plastic, it gets returned and reused). The only issue I have at the moment is supermarket deliveries (2 in the last 3 months, so not too bad) but they do result in more plastic than if I buy from local shops. Oh... and my general online shopping... one of the things I'm doing at the moment is trying to wean myself off amazon, as I don't actually approve of them from an ethical perspective... 

I have a few plastic bottles (water, soda water, and an OOD bottle of lemonade) which I've used a few of recently and they've been repurposed as drip-feed waterers for the garden. 

I haven't bought any new plants recently, as I've started growing from seed - I already had seed and gravel trays, and having not ever thrown plastic plant pots away I have plenty to reuse!

mrs_motivated

Good to look back with an audit DFV,  I am along similar lines to you.

Went onto bar soap a couple of years ago, that was an easy change & Mr M uses bar shaving soap now too.  Shampoo was more difficult as I didn’t get on with bar shampoo , however when I discovered Beauty Kubes that was a game changer, I do keep a bottle of faith in nature shampoo and conditioner for guests but refill them at my local eco shop.

Make most of my own cleaning products, kitchen cleaner, bathroom cleaner, floor cleaner etc. Using a number of ‘recipes’ and glass spray bottles. Cost a bit to set up with essential oils, 5 litres of white vinegar and other bits but costs next to nothing now.

Teabag brand I use is plastics free, coffee more difficult as the coffee machine pods are not suitable for recycling.

Stainless steel lunch box, but still have lots of the systema plastic boxes which I figure is ok as I do use them.

Beeswax wraps, replaced clingfilm and foil gets used very occasionally.

Toiletries Face cream etc. In glass bottles, deodorant comes in a tin, use muslin wipes but like you DFV I couldn’t get on with the toothpaste or a bamboo toothbrush so went back to electric and regular toothpaste.

I don’t buy kitchen roll, just use cloths.  Loo roll I use Cheeky Panda, expensive but plastic free and buy 48 at a time which served me well at the beginning of lockdown....do have concerns about the carbon footprint of getting the bamboo to the uk.  So keep looking for alternatives.

Food pre lockdown I was improving, getting dried staples and certain items from local eco shop in containers, farm shop for fruit and veg, local bakery for freshly baked unpackaged bread and taking plastic boxes to the butchers, milkman for milk , juice and yogurt.  However this has all gone to pot in lockdown.  Still get the things from the milkman but everything else has been from a weekly trip to the supermarket, Although where I can I do go for the plastic free option.  When things get back to normal I am looking forward to reverting back to my previous shopping habits.

greenbee

ooh... some more good points.

Loo roll from Who gives a crap... (giant box every so often). Plus the odd kitchen roll (but mostly use washable cloths) which gets composted. 

I'm using up my hotel soap stash (I have a jute bag in the shower so it exfoliates as well). I have shampoo and conditioner bars, but am still using Suma from 5l containers and refilling the originals in both bathrooms. New body lotion and face cream are all in glass or aluminium, although I'm still using up some old stuff. Flannels and muslin cloths used for washing. 

Coffee capsules are compostable. No clingflim - either glass or plastic containers, or eco-baking parchment and the odd bit of foil (which gets recycled along with milk-bottle tops) or beeswax wraps.  

White vinegar, linseed floor cleaner, surface cleaner and loo cleaner refilled from 5l containers bought via natural collection. Laundry detergent and DW tabs in paper/card packaging, and still using soapnuts as well which are composted.