Wondering why you should up your zero waste plastic-free game and switch to reusable products? Simple. To reduce your plastic consumption. Single-use plastic is a big, and growing, problem for our planet. Made as a byproduct of the oil industry, plastic does not biodegrade. Even plastics marketed as biodegradable must be placed under the right conditions to break down effectively. Often they will break down into smaller and smaller particles called micro-plastics that may eventually find their way into the environment, oceans and eventually our food chain.
How long does a plastic bottle take to break down? According to UK environmental charity Surfers Against Sewage, disposable water bottles can be around for 450 years in a marine environment. It is a chilling thought that every piece of plastic that has ever been produced is still on our planet in some shape or form. But there’s something you can do about it, and that is cut down your own plastic consumption and be more conscious of how often disposables sneak into your life, adopting a zero waste plastic free mindset.
That’s why we created the REUSE category at CONTENT. RE:USE is a curated selection of reusable products to aid you in heading towards a zero waste plastic free lifestyle. At the very least, it will help you reduce your need for single-use plastics encountered in daily life.
Zero Waste Eating
Takeaway containers, plastic cutlery, cling wrap. There’s a lot of rubbish generated just with the simple act of getting lunch. Try these handy, everyday zero waste reusable products on for size next mealtime. It does mean making your own food from scratch but that too has its benefits for your wallet and nutritional intake. Upgrade your kitchen cling wrap to Abeego Reusable Food Wraps, avoid picking up plastic utensils with certified organic cutlery from Bambu Utensils, and opt out of plastic lunch boxes and into BPA-free metal lunch boxes from Slice of Green.
Zero Waste Plastic-Free Drinking
The number of disposable coffee cups produced each year in the UK is estimated at 5 billion. While disposable coffee cups may be advertised as recyclable, they are often lined with plastic to keep them water tight and many recycling facilities don’t even have the capacity to separate this inner plastic from the outer material. We have a number of reusable products that will help clean up your next coffee break or juice run. For water or juice, we have switched to the BPA-free and chic looking S’well Bottles with the added bonus of donations to UNICEF, helping to provide clean water to vulnerable children worldwide. Saying no at checkout to plastic or paper straws is easy if you are carrying one of our Eco Straws reusable straws.
Zero Waste Plastic-Free Bathroom
Switching to card and cotton only organic cotton buds isn’t the only way to prevent wracking up more plastic waste. There are more ways you make your bathroom cabinet zero waste and plastic-free, thanks to brands like Last Object, carrying a selection of sustainable and reusable everyday beauty tools, including a version of the ‘traditional’ single-use cotton swab, reusable tissues and cotton rounds. For shaving (anywhere!), switch to a Mühle Reusable Razor. For a plastic-free toothbrush, try the range from Georganics or a Truthbrush. Just place these nylon-bristled toothbrushes in the ground when you are finished with them, and they will break down in approximately six months – just a fraction of the time it takes for plastic to break down.
Did you know your organic cotton muslin face cloth can be thrown in the compost? Go for the Green Fibres Organic Muslin Face Cloths, which are made from 100% Soil Association certified organic cotton. The craze for Konjac Cleansing Sponges continues. Due to their 100% vegetable fibre composition, they too can be composted when you have finished with them. For makeup removal, swap single-use cotton rounds for Tabitha Eve Reusable Cotton & Bamboo Makeup Pads that are completely reusable and biodegradable.
Wanting to avoid plastic in your beauty products too? Opt for products that are packaged in glass. It’s not a planet-perfect solution as usually pumps and caps will still be made from a mix of materials. BUT at least the majority of the packaging can be recycled or reused. Looking for refillable options? discover Refillable Beauty, our range of beauty products that have a refillable component, from mascara to shampoo – don’t bin it, refill it.
Zero-Waste Plastic-Free Shopping
When it comes to shopping it can be easy to pick up a single-use plastic bag, but it has a dramatic impact on the environment. See our range of easy-to-swap shopping bags, such as The Kind Bag – these recycled tote bags are made from rescued plastic bottles, which otherwise would have ended up in the ocean or landfill, plus with every bag sold they donate 10% of their profits to charity Just One Ocean.
For a plastic-free market bag opt for Turtle Bags, designed for your fruit & veg shop, and made from organic cotton certified under the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), which means no chemical pesticides or fertilisers are used in the production of the fabric, and all their farmers work under safe & fairly paid conditions. Looking for more? shop the rest of our Zero-Waste Wraps & Bags.
Shop All Reusable Products | Read More: Eco-Friendly Refillable Beauty Products for Going Zero Waste
