Eco HomeLife Explains is our educational series where we shed light on terms and concepts in relation to sustainable living. In this edition, we look at plastic-free living: what it means, how it works in practice and if it makes a difference.
Plastic-free living is something you hear a lot when you research sustainability and green living. And the reason is clear: plastic has a huge environmental impact at every stage of its life cycle. (Adekanmbi et al., 2024)
Many people believe plastic-free living means eliminating all plastic from their lives.
Others think it means stop using single-use plastics. Others again are of the opinion that it means that you don’t buy anything in plastic packaging.
So what does plastic-free living mean and what doesn’t it mean? Let’s find out…
Can You Live 100% Plastic-Free?
When you think of plastic-free, you might envisage a life without the tiniest bit of plastic. It sure sounds great, given the huge impact single-use plastics alone have on our environment, and how much plastic waste there is in the world.
But there is a problem: 100% plastic-free living is pretty much impossible in today’s world. This material has become so ubiquitous that most people don’t even realise that they are surrounded by plastic.
When you start to think about it, you realise that plastic is everywhere, even in things that might not be made of plastic:
- Electric appliances – such as washing machines, fridges, ovens, microwaves, air fryers, dishwashers, TVs, etc.
- In cars – dashboards, doors, steering wheels, hand breaks, seats, etc.
- Furniture – beds, sofas, chairs, desks, etc.
- Our houses – windows, doors, drain pipes, fascias, radiators, light switches, power plugs, etc.
- Electrical gadgets – phones, tablets, chargers, headphones, electrical toothbrushes, electrical shavers, keyboards, mouse, etc.
- Fashion – clothes, shoes, bags, jewellery, sunglasses, etc.
- Packaging – food, drinks, clothes, personal care products, toys, cleaning products, ornaments, cosmetics, etc.
- So many other things in our life – stationary, utensils, toys, tools, mattresses, ornaments, bikes, bedsheets, cushions, blinds, etc.
This list could go on and on. So anyone who thinks that you can create a life 100% free of plastic is either very optimistic or hasn’t thought it through.
Like with anything regarding sustainability, it’s not about perfection. Instead, it’s about reducing the amount of plastic you use and own as much as possible. But where do you start?
Plastic Packaging Is A Good Place To Start But…
Given that 40% of plastic waste comes from packaging, according to Our World In Data, reducing the amount of things in plastic packaging we use is a great start. And it’s not as difficult as you might think.
So many products come in plastic packaging that don’t have to:
- Personal care products – shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, body lotion, hand cream, face cream, makeup, etc.
- Cleaning products
- Utensils
- Toys
- And so much more…
One of the biggest group of products that comes packaged in plastic is food and drink. If you go to a supermarket, the vast majority of what you buy will come in plastic packaging. And it’s difficult to escape that.
However, change is afoot. Things like oats, toilet paper, rice, kitchen roll, some fresh fruit and vegetables now come fully or partly in paper packaging. But it would be even better if there would be no packaging at all.
If you can, opt for loose fruit and veg and bring your own plastic-free bags. If you have the good fortune to have a refill shop near you make use of it.
We’re lucky to have one not too far from us, which allows us to buy pasta, rice, flour, nuts, seeds, tea, oats, dried fruit, spices, dried herbs, olive oil, vinegar, and much more using our own containers.
The amount of plastic packaging and waste we have eliminated by using this refill shop is huge. If you’re now thinking that we surely will have to spend more money, think again. Some things are the same price as in the supermarket, and some are even cheaper.
…It’s Only Part Of The Story
Plastic packaging is part of wider category of type of plastic: single-use plastic. These are items that are used once than thrown away, like the plastic water bottle or the chocolate wrapper.
Other items in this category include:
- Balloons
- Cleaning wipes of all kind
- Cling film
- Tea bags
- Coffe pods
- Glitter
- Plastic wrapping paper
- Disposable drinks cups
- Plastic cutlery
- And much much more
And some people think that plastic-free living means to stop using these single-use plastic items. Given that around 50% of plastic production is taken up by manufacturing single-use plastic items (Chen et al., 2020), this is a smart suggestion.
Especially, given that the most commonly littered items are single-use plastics, such as cigarette buds (Green et al., 2022) and food wrappers, according to Business waste. Plastic pollution is a serious problem for our environment.
Even worse, so many single-use items made of plastic aren’t necessary. They are convenient, yes, but not necessary.
For example, a reusable cleaning cloth is just as effective as a single-use cleaning wipe, but it produces much less waste and is more cost-effective. A compostable sponge works just as well as a plastic one, minus the microplastics and plastic waste.
So reducing plastic packaging and the use of single-use plastics should be part of plastic-free living, as it would have a huge impact.
But don’t look for perfect and don’t try to do it all at once, as this could quickly get overwhelming.
Why Eliminating Plastic From Your Life Overnight Isn’t Sustainable
But before you grab a bin bag and ditch any unnecessary plastic item, stop. While it might be tempting to get rid of as much plastic in your life as possible, throwing out perfectly usable items, isn’t sustainable.
Finish the shampoo bottle, before buying a shampoo bar. Wear that polyester dress until it isn’t wearable anymore and then buy a cotton one. Or if you don’t like it anymore, sell it or donate it to a charity shop.
Maybe you can repurpose it to make something else.
Throwing away something that is still usable is just as a bad as using a single-use item. It produces unnecessary waste.
A plastic-free life doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a journey that takes years and it won’t end in the complete elimination of plastic, as we have seen.
So take it step by step. When a plastic item has reached the end of its life, where it can’t be repaired, repurposed or given away, replace it with a plastic-free option, if possible.
That’s the sustainable way of working towards a plastic-free life.
So What Does Plastic-Free Living Actually Mean?
As we have seen, plastic-free isn’t meant to be literal, as not having any plastic in your life is just not feasible. Instead, it means to reduce the amount of plastic you use and buy as much as possible.
And it’s not about replacing every single plastic item with a non-plastic alternative, even if that were a possibility. Plastic-free living is a mindset. It starts with evaluating the things we have in our home and the things we buy.
Rather than buying a plastic-free alternative, let’s ask ourselves: do we need it at all? Yes you can buy a conditioner bar that won’t come in plastic packaging. But if you have a good quality natural shampoo bar, do you need a conditioner?
I found out I don’t. So the reduction of plastic consumption isn’t necessarily achieved by a plastic-free alternative, but by deciding not to buy it at all any more.
Find the balance that works for you. Even small changes can make a difference and over time you can achieve bigger changes.
Start your plastic-free living journey today. What will be your first small change?
