The Good

On this page we hope to highlight some of the products we have found that are plastic free (or at the very least significantly reduce the amount of plastic over the more standard products).  For the plastic free aficionado making lots of things yourself is the best solution but clearly there is a time and indeed convenience issue here.

Remember when buying loose products take your own bags or containers as very few places have paper bags available.  Even greengrocers tend to only have paper bags near the mushrooms.

Biscuits
It is possible to get loose biscuits in some places (bought from a jar) but in general it’s to the recipe book and oven to make your own.

Butter
Often the cheaper supermarket butters are in greaseproof paper, the best of all wrappers.  The next step up tend to have a foil/paper composite (not plastic but hard to do much with).  Organic butters also tend to have this type of wrapper.

Cheese
There are quite a few places that can provide cheese wrapped in non-plastics or will be happy for you to use your own boxes/wrapping.  However you do need to ask and will always have to go to the counter rather than buying off the shelf.  Apart form proper cheese shops and stalls it is actually getting harder rather than easier to buy loose cheese as many supermarkets pre cut and wrap slices from the large cheeses in advance.

Chocolate and sweets
Some of the cheaper chocolate still comes in paper or paper and foil as do many of the more expensive ones (some in card and foil).  It’s the middle of the range that has largely gone over to plastic packaging.  Worst offenders are companies like Cadburys which now seem to be almost exclusively plastic wrapped.  Nestle produce many of their products with no or low amounts of plastic.

Coffee
You’ll need to find local suppliers like Pumphrey’s in Newcastle to provide loose ground coffee.  Even beans are tricky to come by unless bought loose.

Deodorant
Here the answer has come from Lush with bars or blocks of deodorant wrapped in paper in the shop.  Other local options are now also available.

Drinks
Getting truly plastic free juices is not easy though there are some fizzy ones that can be bought in shops like Marks and Spencer that have a cork stopper held down with a metal cap and wire and not covered over with plasticised foil.  Be careful though, some labels are distinctly plastic.

Meat
Local butchers seem, so far, to be relatively happy to use paper and our own provided tubs to put meat into.  Success so far at Moorhouse Farm Shop, G Scott (at Dobbies, Ponteland), Rothbury Butchers and local Waitrose supermarkets.  According to friends this is also possible at Morrisons.

Milk
You’ll generally have to find a milkman who is still able to deliver in glass bottles, otherwise your options are seriously limited.

Shampoo (and conditioner)
Once again Lush provides one answer with bars of shampoo and conditioner like soap and wrapped in paper in the shop.

Spices and herbs
You’ll have to search but there are shops out there that will sell these loose from jars; some will fill your own jars and containers which is a better option than using small paper bags which can burst in transit.

Stock (vegetable or others)
Previously we bought tubs of this but the lid is plastic.  So far it seems that only OXO (card packet and foil wrap) is plastic free; other cubes have a plastic foil composite wrap.

Tea
Avoiding teabags that mostly contain plastics is tough but local tea suppliers (such as Pumphreys here in the North East) can supply loose tea loosely (i.e in your own bags or containers).  Avoid using their own bags as they tend to contain plastics.  Also put the tea into a storage jar at home.  Some manufacturers are moving to plastic free teabags although once you get used to loose tea teabag tea can seem rather harsh.  Beware paper bags of specialist teas that are pre-packed as they normally have a plastic liner lurking out of sight.

Toothpaste
Pretty much every tube of toothpaste is now made of plastic, with a plastic cap.  Even the tablet toothpaste available from Lush is now in plastic bottles.  Other than home manufacture or some internet suppliers plastic free toothpaste is an almost impossibility.