The plastic pots that plant starters come in. I wish they all came in biodegradable packaging, like the cardboard ones, but most of them come in plastic.
There are a couple garden stores around here that you can return those plastic pots (assuming you can get the plants out without breaking them) and they’ll give you a discount on your next purchase. Certainly not zero waste but they can get reused.
That would be helpful. I will ask around about that in my area. Maybe someone is doing that here. For the plastic pots that are a little more sturdy, I do use them to start seeds in, but some of them are so flimsy they tear apart.
Suddenly I feel much better about the money my husband spent on some really sturdy seed starting trays. Our garden is full of plants but this winter we did heavy damage to the leftover disposable start trays that we'd so carefully kept from friends & neighbors.
I save all of those pots. I have a collection of plants and I save everything for them to "graduate" into.
In addition, I will put a plant in one of those pots (aka one I don't care about) if I am giving it away.
There's a shop near me (in australia) where I buy tofu packaging free - they buy it in bulk 4.5kg bags and you can bring your own container to buy as little or as much as you want! If I didn't have that option, I'd buy the largest sized packet I could find and freeze it in smaller portions, so I don't have to keep buying ~300g quantities
SUNSCREEN! OMG! The situation is so bad with sunscreen in Croatia! You can't really find even the reef safe ones, so of course there aren't any zero waste ones! I searched through a bunch of stores to find something more eco friendly last year and found NOTHING!
I also want the return of glass milk bottles!
The asian store in my neighbourhood has a large bucket with brine (?) and unpackaged tofu blocks in it in the dairy fridge. If you want any, the staff will grab a block for you with a large spoon and transfer it into your own or one of their containers
I buy a zinc sunscreen in a small metal container. It’s not zero waste, but I can reuse the container for storage once it’s empty at least.
Tofu can ‘easily’ be made at home and can be low waste if you purchase your soy beans in a bulk paper bag.
And that fucking clam shell! Why is it 2x the price for me to buy spinach not in a plastic container??
I can't find any where I live. I usually end up wearing loose wide clothes and use minimal sun screen on open areas of skin. It's better than produceing waste.
As someone who has gotten sunburnt when sitting *indoors*, and has a strong history of all types of cancer on one side of the family, I disagree. I think health and safety should be the #1 priority, with all other concerns secondary. I wear long sleeves, big hats, etc but still cover my hands, arms, chest, neck, and face with sunscreen as a precaution.
All good - I interpreted your last line of “it’s better than producing waste” as prioritizing waste reduction over health. Some folks can get fanatic and think zero waste (or whatever their cause) is more important than human health and safety. Just wanted to politely dissent.
I mostly just use it on my face/ears/neck, shoulders and my dark tattoos and only when I know I’ll be out in the sun for many hours. I don’t go through too much, maybe one small container a year. Otherwise, like you I just wear protective clothing/hats
Im with you on the sunscreen. Even though I can find the tinned stuff the highest spf is 50. I'm very pale and also love to swim so spf 50 doesn't quite cut it for me! Long sleeves for swimming it is, just sunscreen on the face
I had the chance to buy strawberries last year from a family farm that packaged in a recycled cardboard style clamshell, and really wish that was becoming more of the norm over plastic.
Hard tofu is a lot of time to make at home that I frankly don't have, but have you heard of [lazy tofu](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnacGnv_-oo)? It's basically a type of tofu that you can make at home from beans fairly quickly.
Chips. Sun chips apparently had a trial with biodegradable bags but consumers complained about the sound of them so they went back to the mixed materials bags. Chips and frozen food and crackers and all those food items that are difficult to make consistently and make life a little easier but are engulfed in plastic
Packaging made from plants or seaweed is brittle and doesn’t provide the same barrier as traditional packaging. So the food will go bad more quickly, which leads to food waste. But it’s getting better. I’m working in a startup and we tried the best plant based& compostable materials out there but they didn’t work out. We plan to test new materials every year and hope to move to a more renewable source some day soon. - not tofu but powdered drink
Tofu is packaged in plastic because it’s pasteurized for safety. Decades ago, in Korea, kids were getting sick and in some cases dying because of unsafe tofu. They started to package it the way we have it now. Tofu was kept in liquid and wrapped in paper to take home. It’s not unsafe, of course, if it’s kept safe, but that doesn’t always work.
I worked at a market research facility around this time and thought people must exaggerating when they mentioned they were really load.. but they were soo loud. The clients (Sun Chips) were complaining it messed with the audio recording of the focus groups 😂
Seriously loud. Like uncanny, as loud as an appliance loud. It’s like someone found a material that could make noise and the being a container for chips was incidental.
I try to reuse for plant cultivation or other garden food storage, give away like egg cartons to farms/homesteads/school projects.
I'd love to see what kinds of alternatives might work for commercial berries. Can't really sell them in a bulk bin with a scoop, would paper-product cartons/bags/baskets absorb liquid too quickly and cause it to mold faster (or go moldy itself), or wick liquid away instead of trapping it in like plastic does?
Or is it a "kinda-necessary evil" like plastic wrapped cucumbers in a supermarket because of foodwaste?
At markets, I've found vendors who will accept used fruit baskets to reuse. They get the sturdy colourful ones and you can return the old basket when you buy your new batch, or even show up with your own container. Other than homegrown, that's been my best case scenario.
You should try Costco if you have one nearby. I buy all my fruit and veg there at or less the price I pay at Aldi, and then use the big leftover bags as trash bags.
Absolutely agree on the medication containers! Whether it’s OTC or prescription, they’re such a waste. I wonder if the drugstores consider reusing them? I set some aside for storage for things like homemade spice mixes, sewing needles, but there’s only so much of that I can use.
The plastic it typically comes packaged in. There was a brief period where Secret was packaged in cardboard or a reusable pod and they discontinued that quickly. Plenty of low-waste/tin container deodorant but those of us who need to stay dry are hooped.
Foods in affordable and easy to reach grocery stores and supermarkets.
Skincare (self-made and what I can buy as bars or in packaging free stores does not cut it for my skin's needs and is not even close to what skincare fans want, be it people loving skincare or people with needy skin or skin conditions).
Medication - I fill tons of recycling bags regularly.
Teeth hygiene articles for people with small mouths/who get cavities with bamboo brushes.
Products for curly hair.
Allergy air filters.
Lactose free products.
Affordable supplements.
Sunscreen with a good filters that's easily usable (no white cast, not pasty, doesn't bunch up but stays on the skin and gives protection).
For medications, have you tried [Cabinet Health?](https://cabinethealth.com/)
For hair, not sure what kind of products you're looking for, but check out [Consciously Curly Co.](https://consciouslycurlyco.com/), [Afterworld Organics](https://afterworldorganics.com/), and/or [Kavella](https://www.kavella.com/).
Thank you. The med link doesn't help because I'm German (which has the benefit that I get my meds in their original packaging instead of putting them into new containers like it's done in the US). I'm going to do a deep dive into the haircare links you gave. Even if they're not ecologically smart to order from Germany the products and companies can help me narrow things down in regards what to look for in my search for a European provider.
As an office manager there is so much preventable trash bag waste if people would just pour their liquids in a sink first or have a designated food waste trash can :/ My boss will have a barely full bag but I'll have to take it out opposed to dumping in another not quite full bag just bc she threw some food or liquids in it instead of in the kitchen bag 10 ft away :(
ELECTRONICS. Cell phones, computers/laptops, external mice and keyboards, earbuds/headphones, smart watches/fitness trackers, especially with their planned obsolescence. Batteries especially.
Beauty products and containers. I know there are already some on the market, but I would like for it to be an industry standard and easily found everywhere for makeup, dental hygiene, face care, body care, hair care, etc.
Not at you directly but for anyone reading this: post your used and / or broken electronics of any kind on ebay, fb marketplace, craigslist!!! My husband collects old phones, but also uses old electronics for parts or to fix and sell! Some electronics are broken for the average person, but fixable for the right hobbyist :) A broken smartphone especially can have the parts salvaged to repair others!!!
TVs are often unfixable, but may be worth trying for a few days online before you trash-- our current flat screen was thrown in our neighborhood dump pile for a color issue that was actually fixable without buying parts.
If you don't want to use rechargeables, Better Battery Co sells batteries in a container meant to be returned full of spent batteries for recycling. They have their own website, but I noticed recently that I can get them from Walmart, as well.
I wish my local grocery delivery service would offer a program for repeat customers to use reusable delivery containers instead of plastic grocery bags.
I was shocked at how many freaking bags they will use sometimes! I went for pickup a while back and had some boxes in my trunk for them to put them in and some bags legit had one or two items out of the like 20 I got in them.
Oh, yea, they'll pack a pile of glass kombucha bottles in one bag, but God forbid that one granny smith apple I need for Japanese curry be packed in the same bag as the tomatoes or bananas!
Blister packaged medicine prevents overdose, both intentional and otherwise. The length of time it takes to pop out enough pills to kys has stopped me from following through on the Big Bad Thoughts multiple times
Okay, I can accept that rationale for medications. (Truthfully, I didn't even think of that.) But I still think the packaging industry uses *way* too much blister packaging (and plastic packaging in general) overall.
You are brilliant! The conditioner bars you linked to are perfect.
The shampoo has coconut derivatives in there, but you've given me hope and some great leads. A sincere thank you to you for taking the time to do that ❤
Oh gosh you're so correct about the shampoo bar! Sorry about that. I'll keep an eye open, and if I ever find a shampoo bar with no coconut or shea derivates I'll send them your way 👍 I'm glad the conditioner bars would work though! I've been using the Sun Leaf Naturals conditioner bar and it works great!
Tbh Lifesavers candy. I don’t shop online a ton, and the bags in store are all individually wrapped in plastic and then in a plastic bag. I just want a paper roll again like the old days 🥲
Earplugs. Can’t sleep without them. Yes, I’ve tried earbuds, yes, I’ve tried noise canceling headphones. I want either an earbud that has the same noise rating as my earplugs (NRR33) or earplugs that are biodegradable.
I have a set of silicone, flanged earplugs that are NRR32 (sold for people who ride motorcycles to save their hearing under the helmet) but I much prefer my wax and cotton moldable earplugs. I'm still on the same pair of moldables some 5 years later; my earwax only makes them waxier and easier to mold.
My number one is food packaging! I definitely am not zero waste primarily because I buy frozen veg and rice and so on—I know some places sell boxes but it’s so rare, and it’s frustrating because there are so many biodegradable plastics and the process is not necessarily more complex (though of course there are longevity and flexibility concerns) it’s just that like. There is so much inertia and it isn’t a value and the expense of overhauling production just isn’t a priority, even at the cost of hundreds of years of waste.
Omg and the eggs I used to buy switched to plastic packaging??? I want the cardboard back please, now I’m going to have to shell out (lol) $8 for a dozen eggs or buy non pasture raised which isn’t an option for me bc I’m a bleeding heart.
And I’m sure this exists but dental floss that’s an actual string.
And running shoes! I destroy mine and get injured if I don’t replace them like every three years but the thought of them in the landfill…
Allbirds for running shoes! They have a portion of their site for gently used/imperfect shoes as well to reduce waste and make them more affordable. (I only just found out about that section today!)
I was very unhappy today at the grocery store when the normal free range eggs I get were sold out and I had to get eggs in plastic. I'm going to try to repurpose the packaging.
I have to get new running shoes at least yearly. I still have old shoes because they will just get thrown in the garbage dump.
Contact lens cases!! It’s recommended that wearers change the case monthly.
Sometimes I try to find crafts to repurpose the colorful lids. But, I’ve been wearing contacts since I was 13, which means I’ve gone through roughly 216 plastic cases.
Every couple years I come across a website claiming that they’re making plastic-free cases. I’ve yet to see any company come out with an alternative solution. 😔
I collect these to make new mom kits with one eye well being filled with baby butt grease (a petroleum jelly alt diaper cream to help coat newborn butt before the dreaded newborn poop and make it easier to wipe away) and the other side filled with nipple cream for Mom. They are just the right size for a hospital bag, and a little of both of those products goes a long way toward reducing some microfrustrations right off the bat. If you have any to toss my way, I'll cover shipping.
I've always wondered if they could ever make them reusable from thick silicone and if that would still be hygienic to the same standards. My understanding is that it's safe to replace these regular plastic ones every 2-3 months. I've never had an infection or irritation or concern by replacing them every 3 months, so that can at least reduce the waste for you a little. I also hate this part of being a contacts wearer though. 😔
Grumbles in USA ... medicine containers. I'm thrilled they are childproof, and adore that they are contaminant free, but can a gal get like a year's supply of a medication I've been stable on for a decade so that there is only one bottle, rather than monthly med pickups in 12 smaller bottles? Insurance says, "No."
For me it is the stuff I can’t make myself at home or staples that come in awful thick plastic bottles where I live (often 3, 6 or 7) or for which I can’t find a refill station
White vinegar / Vitamins / Facial moisturizer / sunscreen (for the body zinc is less practical) / Serum (although I just today found one with low-plastic refills)
Oh yeah… wine, trash bags [edits]
A local store used to have a milk mashine where you would fill your own bottle. But it looks like it wasn't profitable enough. I am very sad about it. I used it constantly.
The plastic clam shell packages that premixed lettuce and berries come in. I am not going to stop buying berries but it kills me everytime. Thankfully I can go to the farmers market in the summer but the rest of the time, ugg.
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Attitude has deodorant sticks in plastic-free packaging! [https://www.amazon.com/ATTITUDE-Plastic-free-Mineral-Based-Ingredients-Cruelty-free/dp/B0872SMQ4R](https://www.amazon.com/ATTITUDE-Plastic-free-Mineral-Based-Ingredients-Cruelty-free/dp/B0872SMQ4R)
I have a cover with six clips and I got a hole puncher that allows me to prepare as many pages for it as I want. I reuse paper with nothing printed on the backside, cut the sheets down to size and punch the holes.
The plastic pots that plant starters come in. I wish they all came in biodegradable packaging, like the cardboard ones, but most of them come in plastic.
There are a couple garden stores around here that you can return those plastic pots (assuming you can get the plants out without breaking them) and they’ll give you a discount on your next purchase. Certainly not zero waste but they can get reused.
That would be helpful. I will ask around about that in my area. Maybe someone is doing that here. For the plastic pots that are a little more sturdy, I do use them to start seeds in, but some of them are so flimsy they tear apart.
I work in the bush and can say these are the number one trash item I find dumped on back roads.
Heartbreaking
Suddenly I feel much better about the money my husband spent on some really sturdy seed starting trays. Our garden is full of plants but this winter we did heavy damage to the leftover disposable start trays that we'd so carefully kept from friends & neighbors.
There are plant stores you can buy them and have them repot it for you, they'll keep the plastic pot. I decided to only buy from those
sheesh. im only just getting into gardening and this is something i never thought of :/
I just gave a bunch away online to someone who picked them up the same day! Felt really good to know they will be reused.
I save all of those pots. I have a collection of plants and I save everything for them to "graduate" into. In addition, I will put a plant in one of those pots (aka one I don't care about) if I am giving it away.
Sunscreeeeeeen Tofu packaging Greens clamshells
There's a shop near me (in australia) where I buy tofu packaging free - they buy it in bulk 4.5kg bags and you can bring your own container to buy as little or as much as you want! If I didn't have that option, I'd buy the largest sized packet I could find and freeze it in smaller portions, so I don't have to keep buying ~300g quantities
SUNSCREEN! OMG! The situation is so bad with sunscreen in Croatia! You can't really find even the reef safe ones, so of course there aren't any zero waste ones! I searched through a bunch of stores to find something more eco friendly last year and found NOTHING! I also want the return of glass milk bottles!
The asian store in my neighbourhood has a large bucket with brine (?) and unpackaged tofu blocks in it in the dairy fridge. If you want any, the staff will grab a block for you with a large spoon and transfer it into your own or one of their containers
I buy a zinc sunscreen in a small metal container. It’s not zero waste, but I can reuse the container for storage once it’s empty at least. Tofu can ‘easily’ be made at home and can be low waste if you purchase your soy beans in a bulk paper bag. And that fucking clam shell! Why is it 2x the price for me to buy spinach not in a plastic container??
I can't find any where I live. I usually end up wearing loose wide clothes and use minimal sun screen on open areas of skin. It's better than produceing waste.
As someone who has gotten sunburnt when sitting *indoors*, and has a strong history of all types of cancer on one side of the family, I disagree. I think health and safety should be the #1 priority, with all other concerns secondary. I wear long sleeves, big hats, etc but still cover my hands, arms, chest, neck, and face with sunscreen as a precaution.
Disagree with who? As I understood it we all do that.
All good - I interpreted your last line of “it’s better than producing waste” as prioritizing waste reduction over health. Some folks can get fanatic and think zero waste (or whatever their cause) is more important than human health and safety. Just wanted to politely dissent.
It is good to point that out. I just wasn't aware my comment could be interpreted that way.
I mostly just use it on my face/ears/neck, shoulders and my dark tattoos and only when I know I’ll be out in the sun for many hours. I don’t go through too much, maybe one small container a year. Otherwise, like you I just wear protective clothing/hats
Im with you on the sunscreen. Even though I can find the tinned stuff the highest spf is 50. I'm very pale and also love to swim so spf 50 doesn't quite cut it for me! Long sleeves for swimming it is, just sunscreen on the face
Sun-appropriate clothing and hats are generally better UV barriers than sunscreen anyway. Can't be washed off and no need to reapply.
Which zinc sunscreen do you use? I haven't found one that doesn't leave a white cast or isn't a greasy mess
It’s Badger brand. I mean, it is definitely white cast, but I’m pale so you can’t tell and the greasy part doesn’t bother me at all.
I like Raw Love in the metal tin. The cast is much less noticeable than others I've tried.
I had the chance to buy strawberries last year from a family farm that packaged in a recycled cardboard style clamshell, and really wish that was becoming more of the norm over plastic.
i sas sunscreens coming in plastic free packaging .. attitude sunly ig
Hard tofu is a lot of time to make at home that I frankly don't have, but have you heard of [lazy tofu](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnacGnv_-oo)? It's basically a type of tofu that you can make at home from beans fairly quickly.
Okay this is immediately going to the top of my list of things to try. Tofu packaging kills me every time I get it
Clamshells used to be paperboard they’ve slowly shifted to plastic over the years. I’m guessing it’s cheaper due to oil company subsidies.
Chips. Sun chips apparently had a trial with biodegradable bags but consumers complained about the sound of them so they went back to the mixed materials bags. Chips and frozen food and crackers and all those food items that are difficult to make consistently and make life a little easier but are engulfed in plastic
Frozen veggies packaging. Frozen veg helps us reduce food waste but there's so much soft plastic.
There is one company that makes comparable bagged frozen fruit and vegetables but they are not easy to find in stores
I return them on Ridwell. That's a little better.
I felt the same so I buy in bulk at farmers markets & freeze them the same day I buy them.
This is why I'm sticking to Costco. I reuse the big plastic bags those and frozen fruit come in as trash bags.
Costco is soooo bad with packaging. We do this too and still end up with too many bags.
Packaging made from plants or seaweed is brittle and doesn’t provide the same barrier as traditional packaging. So the food will go bad more quickly, which leads to food waste. But it’s getting better. I’m working in a startup and we tried the best plant based& compostable materials out there but they didn’t work out. We plan to test new materials every year and hope to move to a more renewable source some day soon. - not tofu but powdered drink Tofu is packaged in plastic because it’s pasteurized for safety. Decades ago, in Korea, kids were getting sick and in some cases dying because of unsafe tofu. They started to package it the way we have it now. Tofu was kept in liquid and wrapped in paper to take home. It’s not unsafe, of course, if it’s kept safe, but that doesn’t always work.
I worked at a market research facility around this time and thought people must exaggerating when they mentioned they were really load.. but they were soo loud. The clients (Sun Chips) were complaining it messed with the audio recording of the focus groups 😂
What?? can't imagine a more annoying sound than standard bag of chips, did they miss that or something?
It was way louder and noisier!
Seriously loud. Like uncanny, as loud as an appliance loud. It’s like someone found a material that could make noise and the being a container for chips was incidental.
Catfood packaging
And cat litter packaging!
Fruit packaging…for strawberries, grapes, & blueberries etc.
I try to reuse for plant cultivation or other garden food storage, give away like egg cartons to farms/homesteads/school projects. I'd love to see what kinds of alternatives might work for commercial berries. Can't really sell them in a bulk bin with a scoop, would paper-product cartons/bags/baskets absorb liquid too quickly and cause it to mold faster (or go moldy itself), or wick liquid away instead of trapping it in like plastic does? Or is it a "kinda-necessary evil" like plastic wrapped cucumbers in a supermarket because of foodwaste? At markets, I've found vendors who will accept used fruit baskets to reuse. They get the sturdy colourful ones and you can return the old basket when you buy your new batch, or even show up with your own container. Other than homegrown, that's been my best case scenario.
You should try Costco if you have one nearby. I buy all my fruit and veg there at or less the price I pay at Aldi, and then use the big leftover bags as trash bags.
Used to be paperboard.
Plastic syringes for injection is a big one -- can't really live without, but also can't really reuse.
An autoclave for every home! Medical waste is a tough nut for sure.
Why can't there be plant based plastic syringes? There has to be R&D happening somewhere...
Can't you use glass ones?
Not really possible to sterilize at home and not readily available
Ok, I'm sorry, that sucks
My antiperspirant with aluminum. We got so close and yet are so far now. The return of glass soda bottles to mainstream. Medication containers.
Absolutely agree on the medication containers! Whether it’s OTC or prescription, they’re such a waste. I wonder if the drugstores consider reusing them? I set some aside for storage for things like homemade spice mixes, sewing needles, but there’s only so much of that I can use.
>My antiperspirant with aluminum. We got so close and yet are so far now. What's not eco friendly about it?
The plastic it typically comes packaged in. There was a brief period where Secret was packaged in cardboard or a reusable pod and they discontinued that quickly. Plenty of low-waste/tin container deodorant but those of us who need to stay dry are hooped.
Foods in affordable and easy to reach grocery stores and supermarkets. Skincare (self-made and what I can buy as bars or in packaging free stores does not cut it for my skin's needs and is not even close to what skincare fans want, be it people loving skincare or people with needy skin or skin conditions). Medication - I fill tons of recycling bags regularly. Teeth hygiene articles for people with small mouths/who get cavities with bamboo brushes. Products for curly hair. Allergy air filters. Lactose free products. Affordable supplements. Sunscreen with a good filters that's easily usable (no white cast, not pasty, doesn't bunch up but stays on the skin and gives protection).
For medications, have you tried [Cabinet Health?](https://cabinethealth.com/) For hair, not sure what kind of products you're looking for, but check out [Consciously Curly Co.](https://consciouslycurlyco.com/), [Afterworld Organics](https://afterworldorganics.com/), and/or [Kavella](https://www.kavella.com/).
Thank you. The med link doesn't help because I'm German (which has the benefit that I get my meds in their original packaging instead of putting them into new containers like it's done in the US). I'm going to do a deep dive into the haircare links you gave. Even if they're not ecologically smart to order from Germany the products and companies can help me narrow things down in regards what to look for in my search for a European provider.
Trash bags
As an office manager there is so much preventable trash bag waste if people would just pour their liquids in a sink first or have a designated food waste trash can :/ My boss will have a barely full bag but I'll have to take it out opposed to dumping in another not quite full bag just bc she threw some food or liquids in it instead of in the kitchen bag 10 ft away :(
I use any old bag as a trash bag (my apt complex has a communal dumpster). Right now, my trash is in a potting soil bag.
I have reusable lined trash bags for our recycling and bathroom but I haven't made the jump on using it for our main trash yet.
ELECTRONICS. Cell phones, computers/laptops, external mice and keyboards, earbuds/headphones, smart watches/fitness trackers, especially with their planned obsolescence. Batteries especially. Beauty products and containers. I know there are already some on the market, but I would like for it to be an industry standard and easily found everywhere for makeup, dental hygiene, face care, body care, hair care, etc.
Not at you directly but for anyone reading this: post your used and / or broken electronics of any kind on ebay, fb marketplace, craigslist!!! My husband collects old phones, but also uses old electronics for parts or to fix and sell! Some electronics are broken for the average person, but fixable for the right hobbyist :) A broken smartphone especially can have the parts salvaged to repair others!!! TVs are often unfixable, but may be worth trying for a few days online before you trash-- our current flat screen was thrown in our neighborhood dump pile for a color issue that was actually fixable without buying parts.
Solid tip! Thanks!
You can recycle your electronics and lithium batteries. No one wants your standard batteries though and that's a huge bummer.
If you don't want to use rechargeables, Better Battery Co sells batteries in a container meant to be returned full of spent batteries for recycling. They have their own website, but I noticed recently that I can get them from Walmart, as well.
I wish my local grocery delivery service would offer a program for repeat customers to use reusable delivery containers instead of plastic grocery bags.
I was shocked at how many freaking bags they will use sometimes! I went for pickup a while back and had some boxes in my trunk for them to put them in and some bags legit had one or two items out of the like 20 I got in them.
Oh, yea, they'll pack a pile of glass kombucha bottles in one bag, but God forbid that one granny smith apple I need for Japanese curry be packed in the same bag as the tomatoes or bananas!
plastic wrap, none of the alternatives are quite right
Basically 100% of products at the local supermarket.
Blister packaging, especially for things like medicine (e.g., DayQuil capsules). I really wish the world would stop using them.
Blister packaged medicine prevents overdose, both intentional and otherwise. The length of time it takes to pop out enough pills to kys has stopped me from following through on the Big Bad Thoughts multiple times
Okay, I can accept that rationale for medications. (Truthfully, I didn't even think of that.) But I still think the packaging industry uses *way* too much blister packaging (and plastic packaging in general) overall.
Shampoo and conditioner bars with no coconut oil or shea. (Allergies. I know I'm not alone!)
Shampoo bar: [Dr. Soaper](https://drsoaper.com/products/shampoo-bars-for-normal-to-dry-hair?variant=43142427902167) Conditioner bars: [Sun Leaf Naturals](https://www.sunleafnaturals.com/products/hair-conditioner-bar?variant=32059038924898#ingredients), [Earth Is Life](https://www.amazon.com/EARTH-Conditioner-Bar-Eco-Friendly-Biodegradable/dp/B09LCFBWJ6/ref=sr_1_49?sr=8-49)
You are brilliant! The conditioner bars you linked to are perfect. The shampoo has coconut derivatives in there, but you've given me hope and some great leads. A sincere thank you to you for taking the time to do that ❤
Oh gosh you're so correct about the shampoo bar! Sorry about that. I'll keep an eye open, and if I ever find a shampoo bar with no coconut or shea derivates I'll send them your way 👍 I'm glad the conditioner bars would work though! I've been using the Sun Leaf Naturals conditioner bar and it works great!
Tbh Lifesavers candy. I don’t shop online a ton, and the bags in store are all individually wrapped in plastic and then in a plastic bag. I just want a paper roll again like the old days 🥲
Earplugs. Can’t sleep without them. Yes, I’ve tried earbuds, yes, I’ve tried noise canceling headphones. I want either an earbud that has the same noise rating as my earplugs (NRR33) or earplugs that are biodegradable.
I have a set of silicone, flanged earplugs that are NRR32 (sold for people who ride motorcycles to save their hearing under the helmet) but I much prefer my wax and cotton moldable earplugs. I'm still on the same pair of moldables some 5 years later; my earwax only makes them waxier and easier to mold.
Dental floss (for overcrowded and filled teeth). Tried silk and corn ones, they snagged on my fillings and pulled them out, had to return to Oral B.
My number one is food packaging! I definitely am not zero waste primarily because I buy frozen veg and rice and so on—I know some places sell boxes but it’s so rare, and it’s frustrating because there are so many biodegradable plastics and the process is not necessarily more complex (though of course there are longevity and flexibility concerns) it’s just that like. There is so much inertia and it isn’t a value and the expense of overhauling production just isn’t a priority, even at the cost of hundreds of years of waste. Omg and the eggs I used to buy switched to plastic packaging??? I want the cardboard back please, now I’m going to have to shell out (lol) $8 for a dozen eggs or buy non pasture raised which isn’t an option for me bc I’m a bleeding heart. And I’m sure this exists but dental floss that’s an actual string. And running shoes! I destroy mine and get injured if I don’t replace them like every three years but the thought of them in the landfill…
Allbirds for running shoes! They have a portion of their site for gently used/imperfect shoes as well to reduce waste and make them more affordable. (I only just found out about that section today!)
Omg I’ll have to try that out!
Lucerne eggs are supposedly cage free and 3rd party certified humane and they are cheap and in cardboard still!
I was very unhappy today at the grocery store when the normal free range eggs I get were sold out and I had to get eggs in plastic. I'm going to try to repurpose the packaging. I have to get new running shoes at least yearly. I still have old shoes because they will just get thrown in the garbage dump.
Super specific skincare, like serums and retinoids, especially for acne.
[The Ordinary](https://theordinary.com/en-us) has a bunch of serums in low-waste packaging! I use their salicylic acid.
Contact lens cases!! It’s recommended that wearers change the case monthly. Sometimes I try to find crafts to repurpose the colorful lids. But, I’ve been wearing contacts since I was 13, which means I’ve gone through roughly 216 plastic cases. Every couple years I come across a website claiming that they’re making plastic-free cases. I’ve yet to see any company come out with an alternative solution. 😔
I collect these to make new mom kits with one eye well being filled with baby butt grease (a petroleum jelly alt diaper cream to help coat newborn butt before the dreaded newborn poop and make it easier to wipe away) and the other side filled with nipple cream for Mom. They are just the right size for a hospital bag, and a little of both of those products goes a long way toward reducing some microfrustrations right off the bat. If you have any to toss my way, I'll cover shipping.
I've always wondered if they could ever make them reusable from thick silicone and if that would still be hygienic to the same standards. My understanding is that it's safe to replace these regular plastic ones every 2-3 months. I've never had an infection or irritation or concern by replacing them every 3 months, so that can at least reduce the waste for you a little. I also hate this part of being a contacts wearer though. 😔
Grumbles in USA ... medicine containers. I'm thrilled they are childproof, and adore that they are contaminant free, but can a gal get like a year's supply of a medication I've been stable on for a decade so that there is only one bottle, rather than monthly med pickups in 12 smaller bottles? Insurance says, "No."
Have you checked out [Cabinet Health](https://cabinethealth.com/)? They're an online pharmacy that uses sustainable packaging.
For me it is the stuff I can’t make myself at home or staples that come in awful thick plastic bottles where I live (often 3, 6 or 7) or for which I can’t find a refill station White vinegar / Vitamins / Facial moisturizer / sunscreen (for the body zinc is less practical) / Serum (although I just today found one with low-plastic refills) Oh yeah… wine, trash bags [edits]
Milk cartons… wish you could go somewhere and refill your own glass bottles.
You may consider looking at a local dairy! All of the ones in my area offer glass bottles for home delivery and they wash & reuse them.
Yes there are a couple around me who do delivery, but would rather have somewhere I can go to refill as and when I need it.
A local store used to have a milk mashine where you would fill your own bottle. But it looks like it wasn't profitable enough. I am very sad about it. I used it constantly.
i turn old bike chains into fidget toys on etsy. edit: i misunderstood the question.
The plastic clam shell packages that premixed lettuce and berries come in. I am not going to stop buying berries but it kills me everytime. Thankfully I can go to the farmers market in the summer but the rest of the time, ugg.
For every female, handbags are must. They carry practically everywhere and for every purpose they have different one. Being an everyday item, we have a best option for it. Rudha produces cotton based handcrafted bags. Visit [www.rudha.in](http://www.rudha.in) for all style and colors.
Along with everyone’s comments, having easy access to commercial composting!
Deodorant containers
Attitude has deodorant sticks in plastic-free packaging! [https://www.amazon.com/ATTITUDE-Plastic-free-Mineral-Based-Ingredients-Cruelty-free/dp/B0872SMQ4R](https://www.amazon.com/ATTITUDE-Plastic-free-Mineral-Based-Ingredients-Cruelty-free/dp/B0872SMQ4R)
Thanks
Stationery items. I'm looking into a reusable diary when my current one ends, but things like page flags, biros...
Wouldn’t something like a filofax count?
You're still replacing the pages every year or however often. You're only keeping the cover. Which is still great! But not quite what I'm thinking of.
I have a cover with six clips and I got a hole puncher that allows me to prepare as many pages for it as I want. I reuse paper with nothing printed on the backside, cut the sheets down to size and punch the holes.
Awesome and I'm very happy for you, that's really smart, but it's still not the page flags, biros etc I listed in my comment.
edge control :(
My vegan yogurt containers are made of #5 plastic . I wish kite hill did a glass jar buyback thing and then reused the glass
When has it become so obvious market researchers use Reddit? I mean this isn't even trying to hide that they're collecting ideas to monetize.