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Sustainability
How to reduce single use plastic waste with these alternatives
Many once common single-use plastic items are now banned in Victoria. Here is a guide to sustainable, reusable alternative products to use instead.
Single-use plastic items such as drinking straws, cutlery, plates, drink stirrers, cotton buds, and expanded polystyrene food containers can no longer be sold or supplied in Victoria.
According to Sustainability Victoria, single-use plastic items such as these make up a third of all litter seen in our environment, can harm wildlife, and are difficult to clean up or recycle.
Thankfully there are plenty of sustainable, reusable alternatives to single-use plastic products.
Read more: Everything homeowners need to know about solar power
Eco-friendly alternatives to single-use plastics
Beeswax wraps
Instead of buying endless rolls of plastic wrap, opt for beeswax wraps instead. These eco-friendly food covers are made using organic cotton, which is then coated in coconut or jojoba oil, tree resin and beeswax. These reusable plastic wrap alternatives are waterproof and freezer-safe and, with proper care, can last up to 12 months. They are biodegradable and completely compostable, so they won’t end up at the bottom of the ocean when you’re done with them. You can also find cruelty-free wraps that are coated with soy or other vegan-friendly plant waxes.
Silicone food covers and lids
When it comes to sustainability, silicone is a bit of a grey area. While it is technically created from silica, a product that is derived from sand, it generally sits somewhere between synthetic rubber and a synthetic plastic polymer. But when it's a choice between reusable silicone food covers and single-use plastic wrap, it's a step in the right direction. These stretchy lids come in a range of sizes and are ideal for covering cut fruits or vegetables (solves the dilemma of how to store half an onion) or stretching over bowls of leftover food.
Paper or metal straws
Sustainability Victoria reports that Australians throw away an estimated 10 million plastic straws a day. Instead of adding to the straw pile, it’s easy to switch to more sustainable alternatives, such as glass, stainless steel or silicon. Having a party and don’t want 30 kids running around with glass tubes? You can find recycled – or recyclable– cardboard straws, too. Better still - consider if your drink even needs a straw to begin with.
Paper bags
While it has become commonplace to wrap loaves of bread in plastic bags, paper packaging is becoming an increasingly popular and easy-to-find option. You can now find bread in paper bags at most supermarkets and they have long been the preferred option for local bakeries – so if your local grocer hasn’t gone green yet, this might be a good opportunity to support small business. If you've got school-aged children, you're probably already stocked up on paper bags, with plastic wrap banned from kids' lunchboxes at some Victorian schools.
Toothpaste tablets
Forget folding up your toothpaste tube to try and squeeze out every last bit of toothpaste; toothpaste tablets are the latest eco alternative. These are a plastic free, zero-waste toothpaste solution and are made from simple, certified organic ingredients. They’re also a great option to take camping or travelling. Alternatively, some councils and dentists will accept used dental care products like toothpaste tubes and brushes to be recycled - visit TerraCycle to find a drop off point near you.
Bamboo toothbrushes
Bamboo toothbrushes are widely available in supermarkets and chemists. Bamboo is technically a grass and it is one of the fastest-growing plants on Earth. As well as being an eco-friendly plastic alternative, it is also sustainable (it is low maintenance and regenerates itself naturally, requiring little rain) and does not contribute to deforestation. You can also purchase toothbrushes made of recycled plastic.
Recycled toilet paper
Swapping to recyled toilet paper is an easy way to help the environment. You'll reduce your plastic consumption too, with most recycled toilet paper (or bamboo toilet paper) brands packaging their loo rolls in paper or cardboard rather than plastic. Recyled toilet paper can be bought from supermarkets or you can sign up for a subscription service to get your rolls delivered to your door.
Paper straws are now the go in cafes, but consider whether you need a straw at all. Photo: Matt Harvey
Glass soap and detergent bottles
Say goodbye to single-use plastic dishwashing liqud bottles. Many supermarkets and specialty stores now offer refill-and-go glass bottles for dishwashing detergent, handwash and even hand sanitiser. Alternatively, if you keep forgetting to BYO bottle, subscription-based services exist that can deliver glass bottle starter kits and refill cans straight to your door.
Boxed washing powder
Simply swamping liquid laundry detergent for powder can reduce the amount of plastic your household uses. Unlike liquid detergent, powder almost always is packaged in completely recylable cardboard boxes, and often even include a cardboard scoop too. It’s a small change that can send a big message to manufacturers, encouraging them to offer more eco-friendly packaging alternatives.
Reusable bags
Lightweight plastic bags have been banned in Victoria since 2019, with these bags banned across every Australian state and territory by 2022.
While many retailers supply paper or heavier plastic bag alternatives at checkout, bringing your own cotton or fabric reusable bags is even better. Many styles and designs are available, including bags that fold up to fit into handbags, bags with reinforced bottoms for heavier items, or bags that can be attached to your shopping trolley to make checkout a breeze.
Look for supermarket totes that have thick straps so they are strong enough to carry heavier items and, where possible, choose bags made from cotton, canvas, calico or recycled plastic, as these are more sustainable choices. If you're liable to forget you bags, store them by your front door or in your car so you've always got one handy.
Ceramic, paper or bamboo plates
If dining or hosting a party at home, the most sustainable crockery solution is good old fashioned ceramic plates. But if you're hosting a large event and don't have enough plates (or the motivation to wash them up) a plastic-free alternative is recycled paper, plant fibre or bamboo plates.
These plates have the convenience of plastic plates without the environmental cost. Plus many can be added to your household compost or thrown in your green waste bin (check with your local council) when cleaning up.
Resusable cutlery
Takeaway food outlets now provide bamboo or other non-plastic alternatives if you ask for cutlery. But before you ask, consider if you really need that cutlery.
For example, if you're taking your meal back home or to the office, say no to the single-use cutlery and use a standard metal knife, fork or spoon instead. If your workplace doesn't provide communal cutlery at lunchtime, or you're eating al fresco, invest in a reusable metal, bamboo or wheat straw travel set instead.
Paper cups
If you don't have enough glasses on hand for whatever event you're hosting, compostable paper cups are just as good as the now-banned plastic variety. Or if you've the storage space, simply pick up more glassware from an op-shop where you'll pay a fraction of what the items would cost new.
Even though cardboard and plant fibre are better takeaway food container options, bringing your own reusable container is better still. Photo: Matt Harvey
Reusable food containers
Expanded polystyrene containers - commonly known as clamshells - are no longer used when selling takeaway food. Instead your food may be served in a bamboo or paper container, or even in a different kind of plastic container.
But why use any kind of single-use container? When ordering in-store, bring along a glass or metal container and ask whether you can have your food put in that instead.
Reusable coffee cups
Australians throw away 1.8 billion disposable coffee cups every year according to Sustainability Victoria. While they feel like paper, standard disposable coffee cups are lined with plastic which makes recycling them difficult.
While some cafes and businesses offer specialised recycling services for disposable cups, swapping to a reusable coffee cup is even better. You can purchase glass, metal, recyled plastic or ceramic reusable cups in various sizes and styles, or even get a cup made from coffee husks. Some cafes will even provide a discount if you use a reusable cup.
Cloth nappies and wipes
According to Sustainability Victoria, 3.75 million disposable nappies are used each day in Australia and New Zealand and each nappy is estimated to take 150 years to break down. While it's not possible for all families, an alternative to disposable is to use washable cloth nappies. A slew of Aussie-made brands are now available with many made from sustainable fabrics and easily clipped onto baby just like a disposable nappy. Though there are still environmental impacts associated with cloth alternatives (increased detergents, energy and water use to wash and dry them), overall they are a friendlier option for the planet.
You also don't have to swap every disposable nappy out for a reusable one. Even reducing the amount of disposable you use reduces your plastic usage, with some families opting for washable nappies only for nighttime or when the child is at home, not in child care. Single-use, disposable baby wipes can also be changed out for reusable cloth wipes that can go in your washing machine and are often easier to manage than reusable nappies.
Resuable drink bottles
In Australia alone, around 373 million plastic water bottles end up as waste each year. Instead of buying bottled H20, the most eco-friendly and cost-effective option is to just drink it straight out of a glass. But if you’re on the go and don’t have access to water on tap, invest in a good-quality reusable drink bottle. If you’re buying packaged beverages, opt for glass bottles or easy-to-recycle cans over plastic.
Microfibre cloths
As well as harbouring bacteria and germs, plastic kitchen sponges are another environmental enemy. And if you’re changing yours the recommended once per week, that’s a lot of sponges entering landfill every year. The good news is there are eco-friendly cleaning alternatives to plastic sponges – including hemp sponges, bamboo or wooden scrubbing brushes and microfibre cloths. There are even such things as vegan dish blocks.
Soap, shampoo and conditioner bars
Bar soap is a centuries-old product that has no need for plastic packaging (unlike liquid handsoap). These days, even shampoo and conditioner comes in bar form, similarly letting you reduce the amount of plastic in your household. These product work the same way as hand soap bars; simply wet, lather and rinse. Many shampoo and conditioner bars even claim to even last longer than liquid shampoos and they can be purchased online or in some supermarkets and chemists.
