31 ways to reduce your plastic

Did you know that although we’ve seen an 83% drop in carrier bag use since 2014 thanks to the carrier bag charge, large retailers in England still sold 2.1 billion single-use plastic carrier bags during the year from April 2016-17 : this is equivalent to each person in the population using 25 bags during the year. Still such a huge number, and that’s not accounting for smaller retailers. A reusable bag is an easy swap to avoid single-use plastic bags. We opted for a jute reusable bag. Jute is a vegetable fibre, it’s easy to grow and has a high yield per acre and unlike cotton has little need for pesticides and fertilisers. Humans have been using jute since the Bronze Age! Our jute bags are lined with PP, this lining adds to the strength and lifespan of the bag, at the end of its life the plastic lining can be peeled off to be recycled and the jute fabric can be fully composted. Alternatively the bag can be taken to a fabric recycling centre, after the clothing is sorted the bags go to be shredded and the fibres are recycled and used as wadding. The bags lifespan is 4+ years, with an equally long secondary lifespan as storage in garages/cars etc, additionally we’re told they are often used as planters for growing fruits and veg! Our bags are ethically made, being fully compliant to the Ethical Trading Initiative Base Code and in a British Retail Consortium Consumer Standard Grade A factory. If you haven’t already make the swap to a reusable bag. Next time when grabbing a single-use carrier bag see if there’s anyway you can avoid using it - do you really need the items you’re buying? Can you carry the items? All decisions count and we always have a choice!

Did you know that in the UK in 2017-2018 we used 7 million disposable coffee cups every day, that’s 2.5 billion in the year!

Single-use coffee cups are tricky to recycle due to the polyethylene lining which is tightly bonded to the paper outer. Less than 1% of coffee cups used are getting recycled, meaning most end up in landfill.

The paper component of the cup is not without its environmental harms either. Many cups are made from virgin paper pulp, meaning trees are being felled to produce a product that is only used for minutes. Add this to the carbon footprint of manufacturing and distribution and it’s clear single-use cups have a major impact on the environment.

We stock the brilliant rCUP in the van. The worlds first reusable cup made from used cups! (It also gets extra bonus points for being a Cornish based brand!) Each cup is made up of 6 used coffee cups. They’re fully insulated meaning drinks stay warm for at least 1hr 20, 100% leakproof, easy to use with single hand opening and no more drinking through a tiny hole in a lid with 360degree drinking. By switching to rCUP you save single-use coffee cups from landfill and contribute directly to the recycling of used coffee cups #winwin If you drink a lot of hot drinks on the go we highly recommend getting a reusable cup. When out and about without your cup think twice about getting a drink on the go- do you really need it that badly? Or can you drink in instead? It’s all a choice!

Plastic drinks bottles are listed as 1 of the 7 worst offenders by the team at #2minutebeachclean making up 6% of plastic waste collected and recorded in their app. Bottle tops are listed separately and make up 9% of plastic waste collected. More lids are found as plastic drinks bottles are normally made from PET and this plastic doesn’t float unless the lid is on and there’s air trapped in the bottle, a bottle without a lid will sink straight down to the ocean floor where they will slowly breakdown into micro plastics. Bottle tops are normally made from HDPE or LDPE which floats - which is why you’ll find more tops than bottles on a beach clean.

In the UK alone 3,200,000,000 litres of bottled water are sold each year - that’s a lot of bottles! Bottled water usually comes in plastic bottles, these bottles are usually made from virgin plastic, made from oil, has to be transported which all = a high carbon footprint which isn’t great for the planet. A recent study also showed that 93% of bottled water showed signs of micro plastic contamination.

Access to free tap water is even easier now thanks to the team behind Refill App - download their app and you can see free water refill stations close to you, it’s been estimated that Refill has prevented over 2.1 million single-use plastic bottles from being used in the UK in just 3 years.

If you’re not already part of the #refillrevolution think about getting a reusable water bottle- we don’t go anywhere without ours! Fully insulated they’ll keep water cold for 24hrs or warm for 12hrs if you fancy a warm drink on the go!

A 2018 survey by Keep Britain Tidy found that litter had increased in the 3yrs since its last survey. After cigarette butts the most littered items are “food and drink on the go” related packaging. Not surprising when Just Eat has reported spending on takeaway food has grown by 34% since 2009 with Breakfast takeaway increasing 508% and Sandwiches 402%.

It’s pretty hard to get food on the go without single use plastic packaging, look to avoid by making and taking your own. We currently have this stainless steel insulated food jar that keeps food warm for 5 hrs and cold for 7 - perfect for both the current chilly winter and the hot summer!

How did England come to use an estimated 4.7 billion single-use plastic straws every year?

Humans have been using hollow, cylindrical tubes to bring liquid to their lips for centuries. 5000 years ago the Ancient Sumerians submerged long, thin tubes made from precious metals into large jars to reach the liquid below fermentation byproducts. The mass turning point was in 1888 when Marvin Stone patented the paper straw and started mass producing them in his factory in 1890. Then throughout the 1960s after the 2nd world war plastic was seen as a better material as it was cheaper and didn’t fall apart and thus began the mass consumption of single-use plastic straws around the globe.

Straws are made from the recyclable plastic polypropylene but unfortunately not accepted by most curb side programs, therefore they end up in the bin, making their way to landfill to exist for hundreds/thousands of years, or worse they end up in our natural environment causing harm (we’ve all seen the distressing video of the turtle with the straw stuck up its nose) with data from Ocean Conservancy’s TIDES system showing that straws are the 8th most found ocean trash in clean ups.

A UK ban of single-use plastic straws could be put in place by the end of this year, which will be great, but what material will those 4.7 billion straws switch to? What natural resource will be used up for an item used once and thrown away? We don’t think ‘plastic’ is the issue, ‘single-use’ is - making a switch to a reusable option means you’re not only stopping potential harm to the environment but also saving precious natural resources.

Did you know in Medieval Europe people used to carry their own personal knife for every eating occasion? There was no expectation that cutlery would be offered.

It’s estimated that disposable cutlery is used for just 3 minutes before it’s thrown away - how we ever thought that was a good use of the planets resources we don’t know. In 2018 the UK used around 16.5 billion pieces of plastic cutlery, meaning it’s a common item found in beach cleans.

Taking your own cutlery may seem a bit extreme but it really doesn’t take too much organisation or space and we hope it becomes the new normal! Whether you simply pack up a set from home or invest in a travel reusable set like this one here we have in the van. Made from 100% organic and sustainably sourced bamboo that will happily return to nature at the end of its useful life. Are you ready to make the switch to reusable cutlery and say no to disposable?

Our next simple swap from the van are beeswax wraps. These wraps are made from 100% natural products, can be washed and reused (common lifespan is 1yr) and at the end of their useful life they can be thrown onto the compost to naturally biodegrade.

Using a beeswax wrap is simple- the heat from your hand helps to warm the wax and gives it a great seal. They come in a variety of sizes and are super versatile: you can fold and make boxes, roll them up and even create little pouches, great for keeping sandwiches and snacks on the go fresh. They can also be used generally around the kitchen to wrap any loose produce or over bowls and plates to help keep food fresh.

A fantastic swap for cling film which is pretty terrible. Created in the 50s it’s since become a household staple. It’s single-use and pretty hard to recycle due to the resins and chemicals called phthalates that give cling film it’s clinginess cannot be separated easily making it too complex a material to breakdown and reuse effectively. Make sure you’re not adding it to your curb side recycling as it’s more than likely to contaminate plastic that can be recycled.

Moving into the kitchen and we offer 3 different biodegradable, 100% compostable and sustainable alternatives to mass-produced harmful plastic kitchen sponges, pads and scourers.

Our Eco Coco Nut dish brush and scourers are made from FSC accredited timber and sustainably farmed coconut husks and our LoofCo washing up pad is made from the loofah plant which is a vine from the cucumber family which is rich in durable fibres that are soft and flexible. All are made from renewable raw materials that absorb CO2 while growing.

Your usual sponge you find in the supermarket are typically plastic based and made from polyurethane, bleach, assorted sulphates, chemicals and synthetic foam. Additionally many anti-bacterial sponges contain triclosan a much researched and potentially harmful chemical used in pesticides. Oil-based plastic sponges can’t be recycled or composted so they’re not a sustainable option and just add to landfill and plastic waste issues.

These If You Care sponge cloths are not only a great alternative to plastic sponges but also paper towel use around the home.

Blended from cellulose, non-GMO unbleached cotton and mirabilite, a natural mineral salt. During the production process the mirabilite is washed out leaving the remaining blend (70% cellulose 30% cotton) extremely porous, making these cloths extraordinarily absorbent, being able to absorb up to 20 times their weight in water.

Able to withstand high temperatures these cloths can be washed when needed in either the dishwasher or washing machine. We use them in the van and have been super impressed with them. Made from 100% renewable resources and naturally compostable at the end of their usefulness. Even the packaging is compostable at an industrial facility being made from a bio polymer from corn starch. All in all a great #plasticfree swap!

If you’re looking to reduce the amount of plastic in the kitchen then this bamboo utensil set is for you! Each utensil is made from a single piece of organically and sustainably grown bamboo then hand shaped and finished.

Bamboo is perfect for utensils as it’s naturally heat, stain and water resistant. They won’t scratch your cookware, don’t react to food and are non-leaching, have natural germ killing properties, easy to grip and use, durable and of course they’re the environmentally responsible choice being renewable, biodegradable and non-toxic.

Yay for the humble bar of soap! Finally having their moment again after years of decline, sales of bar soap increased by nearly 3% last year as people made the move away from plastic covered alternatives.

Our lovely soap bars from Suma Wholefoods are completely plastic free in simple cardboard packaging. Made lovingly by hand in the UK with a mix of olive, coconut and shea oils that produce a rich creamy lather that’s naturally moisturising. Coming in a range of fragrances all from delicious smelling essential oils. Free from Parabens and SLS as well as Palm oil. A super simple plastic free swap for the home, great in the kitchen and the bathroom!

Still hooked on liquid shampoo? Shampoo bars are an easy way to reduce the plastic packaging in your bathroom.

Ours are made by Natures Anchor by hand here in Cornwall, with natural ingredients, no nasties, completely plastic free. This coconut and lime bar rehydrates dull/dry hair, adds shine and is ideal for frequent use.

Buying one shampoo bar saves more than one plastic bottle as shampoo bars typically last longer than their liquid counterparts and being made in Cornwall this bar has a much lower carbon footprint

Plastic swap number 13: Loofahs- not just for the kitchen- great in the shower too!

This body loofah will gently expand and soften in water, use it in the shower or bath and it will gently clean, exfoliate, smooth and refreshes your skin.

Biodegradable & compostable, a great alternative to plastic exfoliators and sponges.

According to an article from Lush 79% of people in the UK buy deodorant as part of their weekly shop. That’s around 50m people and when you think about how may deodorants are packaged in plastic or aerosols you can quickly see why we have a plastic problem.

Both aerosols and roll-on plastic packaging are hard to recycle. We stock the brilliant Scence Skincare deodorant- an all natural, aluminium free, plastic free deodorant, made here in Cornwall! Coming in compostable cardboard packaging it’s super easy to use. We stock 3 of their best selling aromas, Rose, Clary Sage and a fresh Citrus.

Rather than stopping your body do its natural thing and sweat, natural deodorants harness the power of nature to gently limit bacterial growth and use clever ingredients such as sodium bicarbonate that absorbs odours. With Scence you are being both kind to your skin and the planet!

In 2017 60.7 million razors and blades were sold in the UK alone- that’s a lot of disposable single-use plastic: the cheap plastic razor, the plastic casings on the blades, packaging that they all come in.

We think it’s time that we all binned the disposable razor for the final time and invested in a traditional safety razor, a design piece that’s been around since the 1880s. Our unisex quality traditional safety razors are from Naked Necessities with a beautiful natural wooden handle. The razor comes with 5 superior platinum double edge blades that offer a close shave and smooth skin. Blades are easy to replace and buy and you can also recycle them with your curbside recycling if you carefully place them within a tin can. Easy to use for both the guys and the girls.

Our Friendly Soap shaving soap is a great alternative to aerosol shaving foam, vegan friendly, parabens, sulphate and palm oil free. Handmade with castor, olive and coconut oil with kaolin clay, lavender and orange essential oils, aloe vera and water - all natural, coming in a recycled cardboard box.

Two great ways to further reduce the plastic in your bathroom. Have you made the switch?

Georganics say that over 150m plastic toothbrushes are dumped in UK landfill every year! And just think that the first plastic toothbrush ever made is probably still out there somewhere. With each person going through approximately 4 toothbrushes a year switching to a sustainable, compostable, zero waste option is a no brainier.

These ones are made from bamboo- a sustainable, natural source. Bamboo grows naturally without the need of fertilisers or chemical pesticides, is quick growing, rarely needs replanting and is quoted as creating 35% more oxygen when compared to trees.

Please note that the bristles are nylon, Georganics have chosen the cruelty free option and use nylon 4 which is a biodegradable nylon. When your toothbrush comes to the end of its life, either upcycle it and use for cleaning around the house or you can break off the head, dispose of the handle in either the compost or again upcycle (great for use in garden as plant labels!) You can then return the heads to Georganics as part of their zero to landfill scheme- collect 10 heads, pop them in an envelope addressed to FREE-POST GEORGANICS and drop off at the post office - Georganics will then make sure the heads are disposed of properly and don’t end up in landfill - what an awesome thing to offer- a totally zero waste to landfill toothbrush! Oh and they try and keep their carbon footprint to a minimum too with all packaging made in UK.

Floss has been made from plastic since the last war, typically made from nylon or PTFE it begins its life as plastic pellets which is then melted together to form long strings. Large spoils containing many metres of floss are produced in factories each day.

A very recent study has expressed fears that a leading brand of floss has been linked to exposing users to PFAS acids. These are man made chemicals that don’t breakdown once introduced to the environment, meaning they can be found in the blood of people and animals worldwide, leaving researchers concerned about the potential side effects. Several studies have linked them with certain cancers, thyroid disease and immune system issues amongst others.

We think making a return to natural materials sounds like a good idea, not only for the waste element but for the well-being of people and the environment. Georganics dental floss is made from Ahimsa silk, where the silk is harvested using more humane methods than traditional harvesting due to using processes that do not cause harm to the emerging silk moths. There’s also no unnecessary single use packaging because the glass dispenser can be reused with refills available to top up once you’ve finished your first cocoon of floss. We do also stock their charcoal dental floss for our vegan customers, although unfortunately this is not 100% plastic free as some polyester yarn is used (20%) but we still believe this is currently the best option on the market at the moment.

We all know that the plastic tube your toothpaste comes in isn’t great. In the van we have two alternatives for you.

Georganics natural toothsoap comes in a recyclable or compostable cardboard tube. Made entirely from non-toxic ingredients and flavoured with organic peppermint essential oil, this recipe allows teeth to absorb nutrients without coating them, promoting natural remineralising and tooth nourishment. Fluoride and SLS free.

For those of you looking for a more natural toothpaste that still contains Fluoride we now stock Denttabs. Denttabs set out to create the best possible dental care using the least amount of chemical ingredients. They found that conventional toothpaste can contain over 100 different chemicals due to its water-based formula. In order to stabilise and preserve conventional toothpaste you need many chemical ingredients. By making toothpaste dry you remove the need for these. You simply chew up the tablet with the teeth, then brush teeth with wet toothbrush as normal and rinse out. You can bring your own reusable container for the Denttabs.

Two great alternatives to avoid plastic packaged toothpaste - we like to use a mix of both. Opting to use Denttabs in the morning and Georganics in the evening!

1.8 billion plastic stemmed cotton buds are used in England each year. About 10% of them are then flushed down toilets which can end up in waterways and oceans (have you seen the picture of the seahorse and the cotton bud?) Switching to a natural material is a great way to ensure plastic doesn’t make its way into the environment. These Humble Co cotton buds have a biodegradable bamboo stick and BPA-free cotton swab, a great eco-friendly and sustainable swap.

The humble cotton wool pad is a bathroom staple but comes with many environmental issues, with cotton being responsible for vast water usage and associated with heavy pesticide use if not organic. Cotton wool pads are almost always available only in a plastic wrapper and of course are single-use. Which is why we are super excited to have these reusable bamboo pads in the van. Made from bamboo which is more sustainable and environmentally friendly than cotton, these pads are reusable, so simply use as you would normally use a cotton wool pad but instead of then throwing away you can either hand wash or pop in the washing machine and they’re good to use again and again. These ones are also hand made in Cornwall so have super low mileage on them!

Sunscreen can be seen as causing two issues for the oceans, firstly in the chemicals usually found in sunscreen, many now being found to be harmful to marine life and secondly in the plastic bottle they usually come in, which is why we’re happy to be stocking Shade. An SPF25 sunscreen made with just four simple ingredients all in a recyclable or reusable tin - no plastic or harmful chemicals in sight! Developed to keep your skin naturally healthy whilst reflecting 96% of rays that can damage it. The mineral non-nano zinc oxide is the active ingredient that protects you from the UVA & UVB rays and sits on the skin rather than being absorbed into the skin.

The following sunscreen ingredients are known to be harmful to coral reefs and marine life: Oxybenzone (benzophenone-3), Benzophenone-4, Octinoxate (Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate), Butylparaben, Benzylparaben, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, Microplastics, Nanoparticles, Octocrylene, Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), Triclosan.

For summer months we’ll be stocking Scence’s After Sun body moisturiser. A solid moisturising balm that comes in a compostable or recyclable cardboard tube. Made from rich mango butter together with cooling lavender, peppermint and chamomile oils. No plastic bottle needed after sun bathing!

Research by the European Tissue Symposium in 2007 found that yearly British toilet paper consumption was 110 rolls per head, flushing 17.6 kilos (39lb) down the lavatory every year. That’s not only a lot of precious natural resource being used just once, its also a fair few plastic wrappers. We now sell Greencane toilet paper in the van, available completely package free and it comes to us in one cardboard box and that’s it. Made from a mix of just 30% wood pulp together with 70% recycled sugarcane and bamboo fibre, Greencane is reducing the amount of trees being wasted on toilet roll and the amount of single-use plastic packaging.

The UK throws away an estimated 295 billion pieces of plastic every year. One way to reduce your disposable plastic use is to start collecting reusable containers.

You could buy new reusable options such as these examples from the van- simple screw top glass jars and bottles, glass preserving jars and cotton bags are all great options to have around the house and out with you while shopping so you can avoid single-use packaging.

You can of course also collect and reuse what you have around the house: washing out jam jars, reusing takeaway containers, saving up bags or making your own from old fabric you have around the house.

Having a collection of jars and containers is a great first step towards refill/bulk/zero waste grocery shopping so you can swap single-use packaging for a refillable, reusable option. Do you have a favourite jar or reusable container?!

So you’ve been gathering containers- what next?! Go find a refill/zero waste store to fill them up!

We know it can be a bit daunting at first. We’ve found that the household cleaning liquids can be an easier place to start for some. You can easily reuse your old containers you already have at home.

We stock Bio D in the van. We selected them because we’ve used them at home ourselves and know their products work. They’re a UK based brand, all their products are made here from ethically sourced natural ingredients. Free from added colour and paraben free. No nasties, great for sensitive skins. No enzymes used. All biodegradable substances which means they’re great for septic tanks and your grey water will be fine to use on the garden. Vegan and cruelty free. Their surface sanitiser is BSEN1276 approved meaning it’s super antibacterial up to catering hygiene standards.

And their packaging is 100% recyclable and some is even made from recycled bottles. We return all containers to our supplier who either looks to reuse them if possible or get them recycled.

Refilling home cleaning products is a super easy way to reduce your plastic use - just think of the amount of washing up bottles or laundry bottles you go through in a year! Have you started your own #refillrevolution yet?! Get in touch if you have any questions or doubt about switching to refilling!

We’ve all been to the supermarket and seen the sea of plastic when looking for dishwasher tablets, if they don’t come in a plastic pouch they’re normally individually wrapped in plastic wrappers- madness!

These environmentally friendly dishwasher tablets are derived from sustainably sourced plant extracts and are based on biodegradable and non-hazardous ingredients, with no phosphates, being safe for septic tanks. More importantly they work! We’ve heard from reliable sources as we don’t have a dishwasher ourselves!

Packed in a recyclable cardboard box you’ll find 72 individual dishwasher tablets, no plastic packaging here! Each tablet is wrapped in a water soluble film which will dissolve with use and biodegrade to be harmless in the environment. No micro plastic worries here, the film is a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), a synthetic polymer that does indeed dissolve in water. It’ll first break down into an aqueous solution of PVA, then, when the right microbes are introduced (as they are in a water treatment plant), they breakdown into carbon dioxide and water. This film is considered nontoxic; in fact, its sometimes used in dietary supplements and pharmaceuticals.

Each year the average UK household uses 480 plastic bottles. An easy way to reduce this number is to reuse and refill bottles you already have.

For those of you that don’t get on with shampoo and conditioner bars we offer liquid refills from Suma Wholefoods. We stock their Clear and Simple range which is a mild shampoo, non-fragranced, being kind and gentle to all hair types. Completely free from parabens and artificial colours. Made in the UK and completely cruelty free. If you like a fragrance we recommend adding your favourite essential oil and for those of you looking for a body wash we recommend giving the shampoo a go as they’re all made up of the same stuff!

For handwash lovers we have Bio D Sanitising Hand Wash which is a fast acting anti-bacterial fragrance free hand wash. Kills 99.9% of harmful bacteria whilst being gentle on skin. Made with sustainable naturally derived raw materials with no petrochemicals, phosphates, preservatives, enzymes or synthetic perfumes. Hypoallergenic and Vegan Society approved.

Bring along your current bottles to refill, you can even try a small amount to begin with as a tester. Have you made the switch and ditched single-use plastic bottles? Each one of these 5l containers can save up to around 20 single use smaller bottles of product.

About 96% of teabags are made with polypropylene- a synthetic resin - which is added during the sealing process - crazy right?!

In the van we’ve partnered with Cornish brand West Country Tea Company so you can avoid plastic with your daily cuppa. We have their English Breakfast loose leaf tea which is a blend of Assam and Kenyan tea leaves, producing a deep cognac coloured infusion with a smooth and rich flavour. We have reusable stainless steel tea balls for those of you new to loose leaf. We also have tea bags that are completely plastic free and compostable, an every day tea blend that gives you a perfect brew any time of day! And as we’re working with a local brand we pick up the tea in our own storage containers so there’s absolutely no packaging used!

Have you had your morning coffee? We’ve recently started working with Olfactory Coffee to offer coffee in the van so you can avoid any single use packaging and buy direct from us using your own reusable container.

Offering both beans and ground we pick up the coffee in small batches to ensure freshness. Buying direct from Olfactory means we can buy the beans and put them straight into our own container avoiding any packaging and with the ground we reuse the bag you see here, so the coffee can be kept in a container that will ensure freshness but won’t end up in landfill.

As well as avoiding needless waste you can know that your coffee has been sourced responsibly with a focus on sustainability, transparency and taste. Olfactory focus on sustainable relationships with their farmers and green bean brokers. They take every care to ensure that every single bean that arrives at their roastery carries a contribution towards a better future for specialty coffee.

And don’t forget to reuse your coffee grounds at home- great for compost and also diy cleaning and beauty - take a look at our blog for inspiration.

Another super easy way to avoid single use packaging is to refill oils and vinegars - we offer rapeseed oil (a good source of fatty acids such as omega 3 and 6, low in saturated fat, high in vitamin E and good for cooking as can withstand high temps), organic balsamic vinegar (great for salads and marinades) and organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar (includes the mother which is known for its numerous health benefits!) bring along a bottle and we can fill it up for you!

Our final top easy switch is to refill on your store cupboard essentials. We currently offer 84 different delicious dried food all package free. Simply bring along your containers or we have paper bags if you need. We do all the weighing so you can have a chat with us while we fill up your containers and avoid any mess or stress!

Buying this way not only means you avoid single use plastic packaging but you can also buy in the qtys you need, so hopefully less food waste too!