Zero-waste Gear : where to find alternatives to the most common single-use plastics

Hey everybody! I recently received a lot of questions from your side about where to find reusable produce bags for fruits and vegetables, reusable straws etc., so I thought it would be best to share with you in this post some of the alternatives I use to replace the most commonly used plastics in everyday life and where to find them.

Some of you have probably heard of the trend of posting a photo of one's zero-waste gear to avoid single-use plastics. Well, I'm joining as well :D I confess I'm not entirely zero-waste, however I try to minimize my plastic use as much as possible.

If you're thinking that it would be too difficult to use less plastic simply because you can't get entirely plastic-free, then think twice! It's the small steps that count!

What I love about this is that nowadays, thanks to online stores and the growing awareness of plastic pollution, alternatives to single-use plastics are not so difficult to find. Knowing from where to gear up can be very useful since the European ban on single-use plastics.

Let me share with you some insights on where to find the products I'm using:

Bamboo Toothbrush and Ear buds

Plastic toothbrushes and ear buds are one of the biggest plastic polluters. And it seems so inadequate that they are massively made of plastic. Bamboo is the perfect material to replace them, because of it's durability and very fast paced growing cycle. Nordics oral care - this is a Bulgarian company that is mostly focused on selling sustainable oral care in the international market, however they are easily found in Bulgaria in bio/green stores or even in big retail stores such as dm.

Bamboo Straw

Plastic straws are also one of the greatest plastic polluters and at the same time, seems perfectly to drink you soda without one! However, for everybody keen to have a straw with their drink, please refuse them in restaurants and bars. Instead you can use a portable metal or bamboo straw, which can be always with you since it takes so little space. The bamboo straw on the picture is specifically from a zero-waste bazar that was held in Sofia. It came with a specific brush and small summery bag. Unfortunately, this particular one can't be found online for now, however, in Green revolucia you can find a large choice of bamboo and metal straws, as well as other zero-waste products and materials :)

Cotton Produce Bags

Don't let me start on the nylon bags! It's very well known that they are very difficult to recycle and are a massive polluter in the oceans. That's why a lot of countries start their fight against plastic through banning single-use nylon bags. The cotton multiple-use bags from the photo are from valderalife, which are normally an online sore, but I got them again from this zero-waste bazar I visited, however I find them a bit pricey. I believe you can find the same cotton bags on sites such as ebay or amazon. Nevertheless, there are other small producers in Bulgaria which are offering organic cotton produce bags with interesting design and good quality, since they're handmade :) Ecoway-we care and Stampa are the ones I've heard of.

Beeswax Food Wraps

A wonderful alternative to the non-recyclable plastic foil or cling film. They are made with beeswax obviously, textile and sometimes resin or essential oils. The ones from the picture are from Wrap around. At Libyana Lave you can also find great beeswax wraps with jojoba oil. Stampa are offering some with a more minimalist design which is also lovely :)

Reusable Water Bottles

These days I see more and more people using their portable bottles which makes me so happy! Did you know that one-time plastic water bottles are considered as "the biggest scam of the century"?

One of the bottles I'm currently using is from 24 bottles - stainless steal, no BPA and beautiful design, while being super light. I admit they are a bit expensive, but oh well...I'm a sucker for sustainable and at the same time beautifully made products :D. If you're in Bulgaria 24 bottles can be ordered from Designitsa's eco shop.

And the other bottle is from Brita - it's very convenient since it comes with a filter, so water can be always available throughout the day.

Another very convenient and interesting alternative are the silicon bottles which can stay folded, hence not taking any space at all. Check out the ones from Bubi. In Bulgaria, you can find them in Soul Elements store.

Reusable Coffee Cups

Take-away coffee cups are not recyclable! The inside of every cup coated with plastic foil so it can be durable for the hot drink. This means that every take-away coffee cups goes directly to the landfill... Why bother when with a reusable one on your own, you avoid spending resources whatsoever!

The one from the photo is made from bamboo and is from Bio Balev - a Bulgarian bio store but they've became very popular so they shouldn't be difficult to find. Other brand that I've heard good reviews for are keepcup - they are made from different materials,including glass with catchy designs or you can even design one on your own! In Bulgaria you can find them in Drekka coffee shop.

Reusable Lunch box

It's a pity that single use plastic containers are being used every day by so many people! While bringing your own container costs 0 effort.

Basically, it's not even necessary to buy a specific container, because you can always use something you already have bought, for example an empty ice cream box. Nevertheless, I always use it for my lunch in the office - I keep it in the office kitchen and when I need to get lunch for take-away I always insist to be served in my own container. Most of the times, there's no problem :) So this is a very convenient way to avoid all the plastic packaging from take-away food.

Glass jar

Who doesn't have them in their kitchen? They are always super convenient and serve as a great storage space. I mostly use it to store cereal or soups at home, but it serves as a good take-away alternative as well.

In Summary: Alternatives and where you can find them:

Bamboo Toothbrush and Ear buds/ Бамбукови четки за зъби и клечки за уши - Nordics oral care; Магазин Зелен, dm

Bamboo Straws/ Бамбукови или метални сламки - Green revolucia

Cotton Produce bags/ Памучни торбички за пазаруване - valderalife; Ecoway-we care; Stampa

Beeswax Food wraps / Восъчно кухненско фолио - Wrap around; Libyana Lave; Stampa

Reusable Water Bottles/ Бутилки за вода за многократна употреба - 24 bottles; Designitsa; Brita; Bubi; Soul Elements; Bio Balev

Reusable Coffee Cups/ Чаши за кафе за многократна употреба - Bio Balev; Designitsa; keepcup; Drekka

Reusable Lunch Box/ Кутия за обяд - IKEA and basically in every supermarket

Glass jar/ Стъклени буркани - same

I hope this article was useful for you. Feel free to share, comment with additional places on where to find single-use plastic alternatives or like this post :)