With the goal to reduce our use and reliance on plastic, in particular single use plastic, whose responsibility is it – ours, the manufacturers or the retailers? Naturally it takes commitment from all sides. Are you finding it easy to switch your product choices to become plastic free where possible?
Not all bags are the same!
What I’ve found amazing is that ‘all of a sudden’ some supermarkets have biodegradable bags at the ready in the fruit and veg aisles for us to use. These weren’t invented overnight, so why weren’t they readily available on the shelves before – why did we have to wait for a public outcry about plastic before we see these more environmentally friendly options?
Anyway, it’s a step in a better direction. And to take it another step further, just as we’ve got used to taking our shopping bags with us instead of relying on plastic carrier bags, we can now take our own produce bags to use too. These tend to be made of cotton, organic cotton, hemp or bamboo, and they’re washable. Great to have at hand when choosing loose fruit and veg.
And talking of bags, we can also switch to using fully degradable freezer bags, bin bags, nappy sacks, and poo bags. Not all degradable bags are the same though! d2w bags will completely degrade to H2O and CO2 within a period of 12 – 18 months, and they are fully recyclable.
Plastic freedom in the bathroom
How about all the plastic bottles and tubes we use in the bathroom? Well, I’m gradually switching back to the good old bars of soap instead of hand washes and shower gels in plastic bottles. And we’re trying out shampoo and conditioner bars too.
Whilst I was impressed with the lather produced by the shampoo bars I’ve tried, I haven’t been as impressed with the condition of my hair afterwards; it feels as though there’s a film left on it, and it seemed to lack lustre. So I’ve been experimenting, and using shampoo from a bottle and just using the conditioner bar to finish, which seems to work and my hair feels softer again. I found a lovely organic shampoo which is sold in glass bottles, though really I’m not keen on the combination of glass and bare feet if the bottle falls in the shower!
Then, in my research, I’ve learnt a little more about shampoo bars. Again, turns out that not all are created equal! Apparently it takes a bit of a transition period when switching to shampoo bars, which can be from a few weeks to months – not sure I want to have that many bad hair days! Most shampoo bars are soap based and therefore the pH is not suitable for our hair, more noticeably in hard water areas. However, there’s a new range of products from The Solid Bar Company who make shampoo bars that are – shampoo with the water taken out! Seems promising – I’m going to give them a go.
Step by plastic free step
It’s great to find so many choices now that offer us alternatives to plastic. Whereas some manufacturers and retailers are blazing the way, step by step as consumers if we start switching our shopping choices to more ethical brands, then hopefully other companies will follow suit.
So, if you’re interested in eliminating the use of plastics you might want to check out the range of alternative products at Ecomarketstall –
- bamboo products
- beeswax food wraps
- conscious chocolate
- d2w degradable bags
- earth conscious deodorants
- mouthwash tablets (just add to water) and toothpastes in glass jars
- produce and shopping bags
- solid bar soaps, conditioners, body lotions, shave salve, insect repellent
- soapnut products
- vegan products
- and many more eco-friendly and plastic free options
