Reusable shopping bag instead of single-use carrier bags
Bag charges cut single-use bag sales at England’s main supermarkets by 98 percent; carrying any bag you already own beats buying a new one.
Families
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Mesh or cloth produce bags instead of roll bags
The flimsy roll bags in the fruit aisle are being banned in Western Australia and elsewhere; a washable mesh bag or no bag at…
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No straw, or a stainless steel one
Plastic straws are banned in most rich countries, but 90 percent of paper straws tested contained per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS); steel was the…
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Containers and wraps instead of cling film
Cling film is unrecyclable and used once; a plate over a bowl, a lidded container or a beeswax wrap does the same job for…
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Silicone or glass instead of zip-lock bags
A reusable silicone bag replaces hundreds of zip bags, but silicone itself is not recyclable or biodegradable, so buy few and keep them.
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Solid soap and shampoo bars instead of bottles
Bars come naked or in paper; Lush has avoided over 15,000 tonnes of plastic since 2005 by selling solid products.
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Bamboo or replaceable-head toothbrush
A plastic toothbrush weighs about 18 g and is replaced every three months; a bamboo handle composts and only the nylon bristles remain.
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Reusable period products
Disposable pads and tampon applicators contain plastic and are marked as such under the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive; cups, pants and washable pads last…
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Reusable nappies instead of disposables
A baby uses thousands of disposable nappies, each with a plastic outer and absorbent core; reusables cut that to a single set of cloth…
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Washable cloths instead of wet wipes
About 31 billion wet wipes were sold in the UK in 2021, and a quarter to a half contained plastic; the UK is banning…