When joining the eco-friendly movement, zero-waste swaps such as reusables take the forefront. However, there are also general plastic-free products that aren’t “swaps” but eco-friendly alternatives. The likes of sustainable cleaning, food, and kitchen products are pushed to the side sometimes. There are plenty of green companies out there. However, sometimes they can be a little bit more expensive. As a student, I have quite a strict budget, so I try to decide whether an eco-friendly product is manageable for me to buy consistently. Zero-waste swaps tend to be one-off purchases (there are a few included in this post) and can save you money in the long run. But I want to focus on non-swaps. This post might be great for beginners or those of you that don’t have time to commit to the zero-waste movement.
Suki Tea
A long-time favourite of mine is Suki Tea loose tea leaves. I’ve spoken about teapots with filters being great zero-waste swaps in previous posts. But I’ve never talked about the loose tea leaves I use. Suki Tea comes in a recyclable cardboard box and a plant-based biodegradable “plastic” packaging to keep the leaves together and fresh. They’re Fairtrade, Organic and Rainforest Alliance certified and source their teas ethically and responsibly. They have loads of teas to choose from- green teas, fruit infusions, and sparkling teas. But my favourite has to be their classic Belfast Brew flavour. I love brewing my tea in my teapot or my reusable cotton tea bags.
Clipper Plastic-free tea bags
I swear this post isn’t only about tea! I just enjoy a good brew- I put the kettle on an ungodly amount of times in one day. I don’t always have the time or patience to brew a teapot or use loose tea (despite my love for it). Unlike most tea bags, Clipper tea bags are biodegradable and plastic-free. I’ve talked about plastic microfibres in teabags before and how unhealthy they are- buying plastic-free bags or loose leaves reduce the amount of plastic we consume. I think Clipper teabags are perfect for a cuppa or if you have people over (obviously not during lockdown). The taste of their everyday teabags is ideal for quick cups while working but they have plenty of other options.
Rocketbook Reusable Notebook
As a student, I go through notebooks quickly. I love digital note-taking, but I never take in information as well without physically writing it down. But paper can be so wasteful- especially since neat notes can have a lot of empty space on the page. So, I had my eye on this reusable notebook from Rocketbook. Using Frixion pens, you can wipe the page clean with a damp cloth and store any notes on the cloud using the Rocketbook app that scans the pages with your phone’s camera. This notebook is so handy. Even though I received it for Christmas (thank you, mum!), I think it would be worth every penny from my pocket.
Sweet Freedom confectionery
I’m a bit of a chocoholic, so, I was thrilled when I found out about this chocolate syrup from Sweet Freedom. Unfortunately, it’s not plastic-free, but it is vegan, cruelty-free, and made with natural ingredients. Sweet Freedom also donates to and supports countless charities. They have a range of syrups and (palm oil free) chocolate spreads which I have yet to try. They have unique syrups, including popcorn, gingerbread, and chocolate brownie flavours. Overall, despite being in a plastic bottle, I think the “choc shot” syrup is perfect for mixing into porridge and pancake mixes. It’s a great eco-friendly alternative to other brands.
Rechargeable Lighter
I love candles but disposable lighters are a pain. Even refillable lighters can be a hassle because you have to go out and buy lighter fluid- which is bad for the environment. I found this rechargeable lighter through Tik Tok and immediately started looking on Amazon. I love it since it has an off switch, which is perfect for storing away safely. The charging cable is a standard phone charging cable so, I can keep using it even though I’ve lost the charger that came with it. Plus, one charge can last ages meaning you only have to charge it every few months. Overall, this lighter can last a lot longer than a cheap disposable one and doesn’t require any fuel to light candles with.
Ecover washing up liquid
Ecover have an eco-friendly washing up liquid. I found it being sold in The Co-op and decided to buy it to try it out. It’s a great alternative to a dish soap bar (which is hard to come by in regular supermarkets). I love the fresh scent of the Lemon and Aloe Vera they have- but they have several other scent options (as well as scentless). It’s only 20p more than Fairy Liquid, and it does just as good a job- and it’s eco-friendly. Even though the bottle it comes in is plastic- it’s made out of recycled plastic. So I feel a little less guilty about buying washing up liquid.
Tony Chocoloney
Although plenty of chocolate brands claim to be sustainable- in one way or another, they’re not. Certain brands source palm oil unsustainably or have un-recyclable plastic packaging. “Tony Chocoloney” chocolate tackles modern-day slavery involved in the chocolate industry. They campaign to encourage other confectionery brands to improve their ethics and sustainability.
As a chocoholic, I eat far too much chocolate. My parents and grandparents always told me about how chocolate was expensive when they were young- as a result, they would savour every bite. But chocolate is so cheap nowadays that it doesn’t even feel like a treat- it’s something I used to eat every day. Tony Chocoloney bars aren’t overly expensive, but they aren’t as cheap as Cadbury’s or Galaxy chocolate. Which, in my mind is a good thing. It’s not quite as sweet as other milk chocolate brands but, as a chocoholic, I appreciate chocolate in all forms. Since they are slightly more pricey, these bars remind me that chocolate is a luxury. Because of that, they’ve been perfect for me as I’m trying to cut down my chocolate intake, which I’ve mentioned in my “Getting my Life Together” blog post.
Eco-friendly products are usually quite expensive as a result of sustainably sourced ingredients and materials, fair wages for their workers and plastic-free packaging. This means they aren’t as accessible as we’d like, I can’t afford to buy exclusively eco-friendly products but I try my best to when I can. The zero-waste movement can be quite unhealthy as people are constantly comparing themselves to each other and pointing out mistakes other people are making. The way I see it, we should all try to do our best. We don’t have to be perfect. As Sustainably Shelbi says, “You can’t do all the good the world needs, but the world needs all the good that you can do.”
Thank you for reading x
Photography: Ryan Duff
Thrifty Mango 