Wanting to start your zero waste life but have no idea where to start? 🙌🙌

Here are our top 10 zero waste swaps to get you well on your way! 💚

1. Reusable Jars

Did you know that 50% of plastic is only used once. This could be take away packaging, a plastic pasta bag or a sauce packet. Reduce your plastic use drastically by bulk buying at refill stores if you have one nearby. You can usually buy lots of every day food items like: pasta, rice, cereal, spices and grains! You can fill up old pasta sauce and marmalade jars, or you can use mason jars!

2. Bamboo Toothbrush

One of the easiest swaps to a more eco friendly life, is to switch out your plastic toothbrush for a bamboo toothbrush! Did you know the average person uses 300 toothbrushes in their life time?! Reduce your impact and waste by ditching the plastic toothbrushes!

3. Bars instead of Bottles

The average family in the UK uses 216 bottles of hair products a year! On top of that, they use 24 bottles of body wash and 24 tubes of toothpaste!

You can swap loads of your every day essentials for bars, such as Soap, Shampoo and Conditioner. The bonus of bars is that they last way longer than bottles - shampoo bars last 2 to 3 times longer than a bottle! And, to top it all off, the packaging is completely biodegradable and recyclable - so they are completely zero waste!

4. Natural Deodorant

Do you think about the effect which your deodorant has on the planet? Not many of us do, but it can be very harmful. Some of the chemicals in deodorants can effect nature when they wash off our bodies into the water ways. And, most of the time deodorant packaging isn't recyclable.

Reduce your impact on the planet by choosing a natural deodorant. The packaging is biodegradable or recyclable, and the formula is all natural which is better for your body and the environment!

5. Reusable Coffee Cup

When I was new to Zero Waste, one of my first swaps was a reusable coffee cup. Every year, the UK alone uses 2.5 billion disposable coffee cups which is around 7 million a day - don't let your morning coffee be one of them!

6. Fruit and Veggie Produce Bags

Ever think about all the plastic packaging on our fresh produce? Why not try shopping around for where you can get loose veggies, such as at a farmers market!

By buying loose, you can make sure you only buy what you need and you wont waste as much! You are also supporting local businesses and farmers! You can use Reusable Produce Bags to pop your lose veggies into.

7. Plastic Free Washing Up

In the US alone, 400 million plastic sponges are thrown away each year. Not only are they bad for the planet when they end up in landfill, but they also shed microplastics, which are washed down the plug hole into the water ways. Go zero waste by using plastic free clothes or brushes to do your washing up instead! They will save you money in the long run as they last so much longer!

8. Reusable Water Bottle

Around 60% of the human body is made up of water, which is why staying hydrated is super important! A reusable water bottle will remind you to drink water through out the day, and will save you money as you won't need to buy any bottled water! No more plastic bottles ending up in rubbish bins, or energy being used to recycle them!

9. Refillable Hand Sanitiser

During these crazy times, hand sanitiser has become something we don't leave the house without - phone, wallet, keys, mask and sanitiser! But most of them are made of plastic, and aren't refillable. Getting a refillable hand sanitiser will reduce the amount of plastic in your daily routine and by reusing the bottle, your hand sanitiser is zero waste!

10. Plastic Free Toothpaste

Making your daily routines as sustainable as possible is a great way to start on your Zero Waste journey - and plastic free tooth paste is a great place to start! You can either get toothpaste tablets, which are like mints, which you chew and then brush your teeth as normal! Or, you can get toothpaste which comes in a recyclable glass jar rather than a plastic tube, so it is completely zero waste!

These are just the beginning! 😍

Already have all these essentials? 🙌

Check out our website for more Zero Waste swaps! 👇👇

Plastic Free Sustainable & Ethical Shop - UK (plasticsfree.co.uk)