Notes by Nourish

Welcome back to part two of 10 Zero Waste Swaps to Help Reduce Your Plastic Waste. If you missed part 1, check it out here.
As you can see from these blog posts, there’s a lot of swaps you can easily do to help reduce your plastic waste! I feel like I could make 3 or 4 more blog posts here but let’s try to stick to these two hey?!

Though now we’re on the subject of multiple plastic waste blog posts, back in 2019, I wrote a blog post here on How to Break Up with Single-Use Plastic.
I discussed ways to start reducing your plastic footprint when you have no idea where to start. Since then, there has been an outstanding amount of companies changing their ways or being born that offer some great alternatives to single-use plastic.

As a consumer, one of the simplest solutions to plastic pollution is for us to reduce, reuse, refuse, recycle and repeat. That’s where I hope this blog will help. I’d like to continue sharing with you 10 Zero Waste Swaps to help reduce your plastic waste.

Skoon Natural Cosmetics

Skoon Natural Cosmetics is a Dutch company that offer a wonderful array of zero waste bathroom products. They have solid shampoos, conditioners and shower bars. These shower bars are without soap, without plastic, but full of natural certified ingredients. Their products are natural, made with 100% plant-based ingredients, vegan, cruelty-free and offer biodegradable or recyclable products and packaging materials.

No. 6 – Skoon Natural Cosmetic Solid Conditioner Bar

Another item that is a constant struggle for people to replace is their hair conditioner. It’s actually quite a challenge when transitioning from liquid shampoos to solid bars for some people and the dry hair struggle is real!
That’s where Skoon can help you out.
This solid conditioner contains Argan oil and Shea butter for gentle hydration (especially for dry and/or coloured hair). It’s suitable for sensitive scalps and contains no perfumes. And naturally, it’s 100% free from plastic packaging, free from preservatives and vegan.

Bonus points: 1 conditioner bar means a reduction of 3 plastic bottles, less transport, and less water usage. Happy days!

No. 7 – The Mooncup Menstrual Cup

For many years, the modern convenience of disposability has long been marketed as the answer for discreteness and hygiene for women. Unfortunately, this has come at a huge cost to the environment.

Did you know that a pack of conventional pads contains up to five plastic bags worth of plastic?

Yep. Conventional disposable pads and tampons, plus their packaging are often made entirely out of plastic. That’s a lot of plastic going into the landfill per period, per woman.
Worryingly so, these period products will live longer than us! Yes, you read that right. The plastic in period products will remain in the environment unchanged for hundreds of years.

Learn more about plastic-free periods here:

Learn more about the Mooncup here:

No. 8 – Pit Putty

If you’ve been on your natural beauty transition for a while, you may have proudly tossed chemical filled body care products and replaced them with natural versions already. Eco deodorants, however, are often quite low down on peoples lists to swap out. Few of us are willing to compromise when it comes to the topic of body odour.

That’s where Pit Putty comes to the rescue. It’s truly a  strong favourite in-store and online. Their deodorants are a combination of oils, butters, essential oils and naturally sourced powders such as arrowroot and bicarb. The way Pit Putty has been designed, it still allows your body to sweat just like it should do, but the sweat will actually be odourless!
And their packaging is plastic-free, biodegradable and/or recyclable.

We actually have a blog post all about Pit Putty here where we go into detail about this company.
I also have a two part blog post all about swapping to using natural deodorants here:

• What You Need to Know About Switching to Natural Deodorant
• What You Need to Know About Switching to Natural Deodorant |Pt 2

No. 9 – Palm Free Irish Soap

Swap out your plastic bottled shower gels and cleansers for natural, plastic-free bars of soap.
Palm Free Irish Soap is, as the name would suggest, an Irish company based on the beautiful shores of scenic Lough Derg in East Clare. They produce handmade Irish soaps that are mixed, poured, cut and individually stamped by hand without the use of palm oil or any palm oil derivatives.
Have a browse yourself:

• Lavender
• Lemon
• Seaweed
• Oat Neem and Aloe
• Rose
• Honeysuckle
• Oatmilk and Porter
• Thyme Shampoo & Shaving Soap Bar

No. 10 – Beeswax Wraps

One swap that I’ve personally found to be a great help in the kitchen are beeswax wraps. They’re essentially cloth coated in beeswax to use in place of plastic wrap. I often just want to cover up some leftovers or wrap up a sandwich for on the go and they’re just great.

They’re a fantastic plastic-free option for your kitchen and help to keep your food fresh for longer. They’re reusable for up to a year (or longer depending on use) and are even re-waxable for an even longer use. Once they’ve seen better days and are ready to depart from your home, it’s easy. They’re compostable and biodegradable.

We also stock a vegan option that uses candelilla wax in place of beeswax.

There so are many more plastic waste-reducing tips and tricks out there and products to help fill your requirements. Keep looking around and ask in-store for help if you can’t find what you’re looking for. We’re happy to help 🙂

Check out Part One here.

Additional blog posts you may be interested in:

• How to Break Up with Single-Use Plastic
• How to Have an Environmentally Conscious Period
• What’s the Scoop On: The Mooncup Menstrual Cup
• Food Prepping – How to Start and Why|Part 1

Emily Nöth

Any questions? Drop into your local Nourish store to chat with our expert team and explore our full range of foods, supplements and skincare. You can also find our full product range in our online store.

Follow (and chat with us) on Facebook and Instagram or subscribe to our weekly Nourish newsletter.

*Please note that while we are knowledgeable about our products and nutrition, this blog should never be a substitute for medical advice and attention.

Please remember that you should always obtain the all-clear from your doctor before starting any new supplement plan or diet if you’re on any medication