New kick-ass ways to cut plastic from your life

Are you ready to take the next step in your plastic-free journey? Here are some next-level ways to cut plastic and packaging from your life.

Are you ready for this? Because refill and reuse options are evolving!

These tips will seriously take your plastic-free life to the next level, but they're also seriously no-brainer swaps we can all choose to cut excess packaging and plastic.

Make second-hand your default

Start here! No matter what you're buying, one of the best ways to cut plastic, packaging, waste and excess is to choose secondhand items.

Ok so I'm not telling you to go and buy secondhand undies and menstrual cups, but pretty much everything else is alive and ready for a new home on the secondhand market!

Think about the last time you bought a brand new piece of furniture or an electrical item. Did it come in a cardboard box, padded at the corners with plastic or dreaded styrofoam to ensure it arrived to you in pristine condition?

By choosing secondhand we are not only choosing to use what already exists, thus reducing our demand on new things and precious resources, but we are also reducing our personal consumption of single-use plastic and packaging.

No, secondhand things don't usually come with a warranty, but they always have a charm about them and usually plenty of life left in them.

Me on a recent weekend getaway in my thrifted jumper (Salvos!) and
pre-loved jeans from secondhand marketplace Depop.
Oh and the hair tie I found... and cleaned!

I don't think I need to even mention fashion here (though I will!) - but you'll avoid individually-wrapped garments, plastic swing tags and synthetic-fibre cords, plastic coat hangers (hello Target and Kmart), plastic stuffing, plastic spare-button bags and protective bits and bobs when you choose pre-loved clothing and accessories.

Choose natural fabrics

Step one: always read the label on clothing, whether you're buying it secondhand or new! Flip that baby inside out and upside down and check out what it's made from before making your decision.

We all know polyester is a fabric made using plastic. 

But so many other fabrics contain plastic-based materials which shed in the wash and run down our drains, don't get caught by our waste water treatment facilities, end up in our oceans and in our food chain then in our bodies - phewff! 

Plastic-based fabrics also won't break down at the end of their life so will languish in landfills, leeching gross toxins into the ground for decades - or longer.

After all that, here's a guide to the synthetic materials to keep an eye out for:

Polyester - look out for blends in almost any garment. Can also look and feel like silk.
Nylon - common in stockings, underwear, and toothbrush bristles!
Acrylic - soft and resembles wool
Elastane - often added to underwear, swimwear, socks
Spandex - also known as Lycra, a stretchy material
Rayon - made from cellulose (wood pulp) but usually requires extensive processing
Acetate - common in curtains and furniture fabrics 

A guide on when to choose recycled synthetic materials

If you're buying synthetic materials, support brands using recycled fabrics,
like this crop from Aussie activewear label Team Timbuktu (check out my review on them here!)

Synthetic materials are seriously handy in the right context. It's getting easier by the day to find companies using recycled synthetic fabrics like ECONYL® (regenerated nylon) for things like:

Swimwear
Activewear
Underwear
Waterproof/ rainwear
Shoes/ boots

Check out this guide by Good On You: Ins and Outs of Recycled Plastic Clothing - a great guide on when to choose synthetic fibres and how to care for them, including investing in ways to catch plastic microfibres in the wash.

Take your refill to the next level

Here are some things I bet you didn't think you could refill!

Beer and wine

Go straight to the source! Many breweries will welcome your BYO growler for a refill, and some wineries' cellar doors will pour straight into your own bottles too. Choose bottles with a stopper attached to the top.

Make up

Choose brands that offer refill options, which is usually after you've purchased the initial container or compact. Things like foundation are easy.

I purchased power foundation and liquid concealer from Dirty Hippie Cosmetics and they shipped entirely plastic free (using newspaper with post consumer recycled paper tape and box), putting the products into little light-weight aluminium screw-top containers which I can clean and mail back for refill.

My Dirty Hippie Cosmetics refillable aluminium tins

alongside my other simple skincare products I refill myself!

Dirty Hippie Cosmetics also offer natural mascara in glass bottles with aluminium screw tops which can be returned to them - plus you get money off your next order for every empty you return. Hooray for reuse and companies taking responsibility for their packaging!

Clean beauty store conscious.kin stock Kjaer Weis make up, designed so that you buy your compact and then refill each time you run out. This is not completely package or plastic free, but it sure cuts out a lot! Check out options like their lipstick refills, mascara compact refills and the pressed powder refill.

Dental floss

Get a glass jar that can be refilled (with the little snipping tool included on top) and from then on just buy the floss refills loose! Check out this cutie The Eco Floss from Biome.

Did you know you can refill dental floss? You purchase the glass jar with metal lid once
and then refill with more floss when you run out - simple!
The Eco Floss from Biome and floss refill.

Naturopathic supplements

My beautiful naturopath Tia Miers encourages me to bring back my glass bottles and jars for refills as she compounds my unique supplements then and there, and mixes herbs just for me. It is such a great experience having something tailor-made for me, and straight back into my reusable bottles!

Refills straight to your door

Don't live near a bulk food or grocery store? No worries! There are zero-waste and refill companies popping up all the time that will deliver straight to your place.

I was dubious at first - were they just sending out light-weight refill pouches made from plastic that were still just used once?

But Aussie company Refillery have a great idea: they ship you natural cleaning products in a reusable bottle, in a reusable envelope with a reply paid postage label. Once you've emptied the bottle you just post it back, with the shipping cost on them!

I am also keen to watch new start up Eco Tribe Food Co, which is about to begin delivering zero waste groceries in Brisbane and the Gold Coast!

Don't live near bulk and refill options? No worries!
Companies like Refillery are shipping waste-free to your door. Image via Refillery

Support brands that support plastic free

This is a great tip and another example of one of the best things we can do: vote with our wallets.

More businesses - particularly the small to medium ones like the examples above - are choosing non-plastic packaging, have reduced their packaging, gone package-free or have chosen to ship sans-plastic.

If you're buying something online, have a look on their website and consider getting in touch before placing the order to see how it will arrive to you. I've requested no plastic before with minimal packaging, and it worked! Speaking of supporting plastic-free brands...

Coming soon: my review of the world's first zero waste bra - talk about a plastic-free feat!

No plastic in this shipment from my naturopath! The bag by Better Packaging Co is plant-based
and the pellets will break down with water!
Plus when I go back the naturopath will happily refill my glass compound jar. Thanks Tia Miers!

Header image: Travelling in my light-weight, wear-anywhere Tasi Travels Wilder Wrap Dress, made in Australia using natural Modal fabric. This was gifted to me as part of Biome's Slow Fashion range, and both are brands I am more than happy to support! If you purchase using the links for Biome I will receive a small commission to help support Shift.