What You Can Do:
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REFILL
Remember your bag, your refillable water bottle, coffee cup & lunchbox. Watch this to see how you can do 'CONTACTLESS COFFEE' |
Follow the 5Rs of ZERO WASTE
MAKE THESE EASY SWAPS IN THE KITCHEN
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GO BACK TO GLASS Why not have your milk delivered to your door in reusable glass bottles. Find a milkman in your area BUY NAKED FRUIT N' VEG Buy loose fruit & vegetables in the supermarket or from your local greengrocers. Or you can try a Vegbox from one of these providers: Riverford Farm Drop Abel & Cole Oddbox PLASTIC FREE CLEANING You can make your own bathroom & kitchen cleaner, limescale remover Recipes here: wellnessmama.com |
Simple swaps you can make
IN THE BATHROOM
- Tooth tabs instead of toothpaste - I use Denttabs tablets because they contain fluoride but there are many brands to choose from.
- Bamboo toothbrush or recyclable electric toothbrush heads
- Bamboo interdental sticks - great to see that these are available in Boots Chemist.
- Deodorant balm - This brand is popular in our house, more than the salt sticks.
- Reusable metal razor - I have one of these Bambaw razors and it's lovely. They also make great presents.
- Shampoo/Conditioner bars - I've tried so many different brands and have finally found ones I really like. These Beauty Kubes are great for my hair & are easy to apply as you crumble the cubes into a powder then mix with water to make a paste. Definitely recommend.
- Bars of soap instead of plastic bottle dispensers.
- Menstrual cup/period pants - Again, many brands to choose from here. Mooncup (would recommend watching YouTube tutorials for fitting advice) and Thinx period pants have been the most popular in our family.
- Reusable make-up remover pads - we like these Bambaw ones. They come in a drawstring bag so you can hang them where you need. Use, wash & repeat.
- Wooden hairbrush - I recently bought this lovely paddle brush from Aveda.
- Loo paper from sustainable sources - we use recycled paper from 'Who Gives A Crap'. They also do a bamboo version but bamboo, though very sustainable, is produced quite a long way away from the UK. Check out this informative article to decide which brand is right for you.
USEFUL SUPPLIERS
Yay, West Hampstead has it's own refill shop! The Source Bulk Foods is a wonderful shop selling a huge variety of dried foods plus spices, coffee & tea, cleaning products, shampoo & conditioner, honey and all kinds of oils. These are all sold from large containers so you 'refill' your bag or jar with whichever product you need and if you bring your own reusable containers, completely eliminate the need for packaging. It is a zero waste store! Some of the products they sell are completely 'closed loop' meaning that they are refilled from their supplier. You can even make your own peanut butter and kombucha. The staff are wonderfully friendly and knowledgeable and you get points which turn into savings every time you shop.
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Organico are a great recent addition to West End Lane. They sell plastic free fruit & vegetables, have a wide range of plastic free alternatives (soap, cleaning cloths/scrubbers, dental products) & have a great refill section of Ecover, Faith In Nature & Bio cleaning liquids plus coffee bean & dried fruit refills too.
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Thornton's Budgens in Belsize Park have gone a long way to 'Cut Plastic Out' of their supermarket shop. From offering refills of water (still & sparkling) & milk to plastic free fish, meat & fresh fruit & veg. They also carry a huge array of dried food refills including pasta, grains, herbs & spices plus Faith in Nature hair products. |
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Peppercorns on West End Lane have a great choice of ‘eco’ and ‘alternatives to plastic’ products. From coconut dish scrubbers to Georganics toothpaste & bamboo toothbrushes. A great local institution.
More information |
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Season Cookshop stock an extensive range of sustainable cookware, including probably the best refillable water bottle on the planet. '24 Bottles' come in a variety of colours and sizes and they offset the overall amount of CO2 emissions from production of the bottles through international reforestation projects. Plus, they are the lightest steel bottles on the market.
More information |
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Insight Opticians on West End Lane will happily take your used contact lenses and blister packs & send them off to be recycled. So you can collect your used lenses & packaging at home and drop them in next time you're passing. |
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Lemons & Limes
A brilliant greengrocers on West End Lane selling a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts and dried goods. Nearly all the fresh produce is free of plastic packaging. Lemons & Limes are open til late and delivery is free for orders over £30. More information |
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West Hampstead Farmers' Market Every Saturday 10am-2pm, West Hampstead Thameslink Station Forecourt, Iverson Road. This fantastic market offers a huge array of fresh produce including top quality bread, cakes, meat, fish, preserves and of course fruit & veg. |
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Hampstead Premier Dairies
Peter is a highly reliable local milkman who has been delivering in this area for many years. He delivers your milk in glass bottles while you are still asleep. He also delivers eggs, bread & juice. You can easily modify your order when you go on holiday. |
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Earth Natural Foods
Great shop in Kentish Town that stocks a wide variety of dried goods including all sorts of teas and coffees that you can buy free of plastic packaging. They also have a bakery, ready-made salads and many other eco-friendly and organic products. |
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As Nature Intended Shops in Marble Arch, Spitalfields, Chiswick, Ealing & Stratford with large 'refill' sections meaning you can buy a wide range of dried goods without plastic packaging. Just remember to take your own bags. They also have an Ecover refill station. More information |
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Who Gives A Crap!
Stop wiping with trees! Buy 100% recycled toilet paper delivered to your door. They donate 50% of their profits to help build toilets for those in need and they don't use any plastic wrapping!. More information |
ONLINE SUPPLIERS
We Earth London
have a huge selection of plastic free & zero waste products plus a great number of gifts if you want to encourage someone to become more environmentally friendly!
www.wearthlondon.com/
have a huge selection of plastic free & zero waste products plus a great number of gifts if you want to encourage someone to become more environmentally friendly!
www.wearthlondon.com/
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Beeswax Wraps
They make reusable, biodegradable Beeswax Wraps, the planet-friendly alternative to cling film and tinfoil. More information |
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The Plastic Free Shop A great selection of ethically sourced, plastic-free alternatives to products we use in our everyday lives. More information |
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Elephant Box
Beautiful range of stainless steel lunchboxes and snack pots that hold a hearty packed lunch and stand the test of time. Inspired by the Indian latch tiffin and crowdfunded. More information |
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Jerry bottles
Available in different sizes and different finishes, Jerry bottles are a stylish way to keep yourself hydrated. All profits from the sale of Jerry’s beautiful reusable water bottles go to making clean water projects in India and Tanzania. More information |
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Collapsible Coffee Cup
More than 2.5 billion coffee cups are thrown away each year in the UK. The vast majority of them (more than 99.75%) don't get recycled. Why not carrying your own silicone (BPA free), inert and easy to clean collapsible coffee cup and receiving a BYO cup discount offered by most coffee shops. You can find one on this site |
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A Slice of Green
Online retailer offering a wide range of 'alternative to plastic' products from bamboo toothbrushes to stainless steel straws. More information |
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