Quick and Easy Plastic-Free Guide

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There are certain things that we’ve always been able to get without plastic. Yes, it takes a bit more time, a bit more effort, but you find the time and you make the effort because you care. I’m talking bread in a paper bag from the bakery, and loose fruit and veg from the market. But there were some things that have made it very difficult to live completely plastic-free. Not anymore 😀

Okay, this is it, quick and easy – where to get all the plastic-free everyday stuff you need:

Cleaning supplies

Mack! Keep it Mack with vegan, plastic-free sachets (biopods) of soluble detergents to which you add water. Everything you need to clean toilets, sinks, floors, hard surfaces, drains and to get rid of limescale. No need to buy any more plastic bottles BUT save the ones you’ve already got for refilling with these lifesavers! Also these products smell great and they’re easy on your wallet.

Washing up POWDER

Add a heaped teaspoon of this citrus-smelling powder to hot running water et voila! Your dishes will shine in no time without hurting the planet or any of its inhabitants. Available from Planet Detox 🙂

Plastic-Free Margarine

Actually, it’s not margarine, it’s vegan butter! Mergulo Plant-Based Butter that comes in a cardboard box! This is a life-changer! For a long time now I’ve had to simply go without margarine, substituting peanut butter or simply straight on with jam. Which was ok. But not as good as a slice of hot toast with delicious melting fatty goodness!

Made with coconut oil and cashews, this is absolutely scrummy and we found it at Holland & Barrett! Google a supplier near you.

But if you can’t find any Mergulo near you, all is not lost because Flora have come out with not one but two vegan butters: salted and unsalted. Find these at your local supermarket and here’s a tip – the unsalted one is just as delicious as the salted so don’t be afraid to give your heart a break 😀 They’re wrapped in plastic-free biodegradable grease-proof paper.

So get yourself an old-fashioned butter dish – these aren’t spreadable from the fridge 🙂

Dental Hygiene

Simple: Go to Georganics 🙂 a one-stop online store for all your dental needs. Or – if you’d rather shop locally, it’s not too difficult nowadays to get toothpaste tablets in glass jars, and bamboo toothbrushes at supermarkets, health food shops and chemists. But my favourite tooth-tabs (and the cheapest I’ve found actually) are Denttabs which you can get from anythingbutplastic 😀

Rice? Pasta? No problem!

You can get pasta in paper bags from the Northern Pasta Co. – they’ll tell you where you can buy it online and in actual shops.

And you can buy rice in paper bags from Marks & Spencer’s!

I’m sure you can find other manufacturers and retailers but these are just two examples I found easily.

And last but absolutely not least – Chocolate!

You can’t go wrong with Prodigy, Plamil and Vego for vegan, organic, fair trade delicious chocolate that’s NOT WRAPPED IN PLASTIC. Available in health food shops, some supermarkets and online. Click on the pics! 😀

compostable packaging
paper packaging
compostable packaging

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5 thoughts on “Quick and Easy Plastic-Free Guide”

  1. I’m into it!

    Although I’ve never heard about the Mack products.

    Will look into it, thank you!

    One thing I bumped into recently is that many of the plant based butters/spreads have palm oil in them. What a shame!

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    • Yes that is a shame, but these two don’t, we made sure of that before we recommended them 😀 Mergulo is made from coconut and cashew nut oils; and the Floras are made from coconut, rapeseed and sunflower oils.

      Mind you, it is worth noting that, according to The Sustainable Palm Oil Choice, “Some companies boycott palm oil because they believe it’s a more sustainable option. But this is poorly thought out. If palm oil is replaced by an alternative vegetable oil, such as soybean oil or rape seed oil, a lot more agricultural land would be needed.” They go on to say “Palm oil certified under the standards set by the RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) makes up 93% of all palm oil used in food products sold in Europe.” and “Smallholders with a relatively small plot of land can obtain an income from oil palms every month of the year. That’s not the case for many other crops, such as maize or soybeans, which also require much more land to obtain the same level of income. This continuous income stream allows smallholder farmers to invest in their homes and look after their families. Palm oil can lift them out of poverty within a single generation.” Food for thought 🙂

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      • Yes! Thank you for this. Food for thought and food to eat, when chosen wisely!
        Lifting people out of poverty is important.
        I knew a woman who was the wife of an ambassador.
        They were stationed in Egypt for awhile many years ago. (so things could have changed)

        Anyway, I was concerned and going on about child labour in 3rd world countries. We were talking specifically about hand made rugs.
        She told me things aren’t always a blanket happening, much like your palm oil report.

        When they were in Egypt, there were children as young as 6 making these rugs.
        They came from the poorest of poor, no hope.
        The children worked a half a day making rugs. They were fed 2 meals (lucky to have 1 at home). The other half of the day, they went to school, girls and boys alike.

        What could I say, food and education go a long way.

        Thank you for taking time to send me this information!

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