Plastic-Free Friendly Finds for Earth Day

Trying to find eco-friendly, sustainable or plastic-free options can be difficult at times. It is for this reason we’ve decided to come up with a new series called Friendly Finds. In this series, we’ll cover some of the products we’ve come across that we think you might want to try yourself.

As Earth Day is coming up soon, and the theme this year is Planet vs. Plastics, this Friendly Finds article will cover a few, non-plastic alternatives for some of the products you likely use on a regular basis.

Please note, while this article contains items of our own choosing, it also contains affiliate links from Amazon and other sites from which we may earn a commission on any qualifying purchase made.

Shampoo and conditioner bars

Shampoo/conditioner bars are an easy way to avoid the plastic bottles in which typical shampoos and conditioners come. They’re also a great way to care for your hair. A good shampoo/conditioner bar will be vegan and cruelty-free, have clean ingredients and be effective. Not all bars are created equal. If you haven’t tried a shampoo or conditioner bar yet, you may want to check out these sampler sets. The benefit of these sets is you can try a variety of types to see which works best.

If you’re looking for other plastic-free toiletries, here are a few eco-friendly oral hygiene products you might want to check out.

Dishwashing soap

Instead of opting for dishwashing detergent from a plastic bottle, or dishwashing pods for your dishwasher, try using a block of soap to wash your dishes. This DISH BLOCK® solid dishwashing soap from No Tox Life is not only vegan, it’s also paraben-, sulfate-, fragrance-, dye- and cruelty-free. The box it comes in is recyclable and the entire product is manufactured in a solar-powered facility.

In addition, the mother-daughter founders actually created their company back on Earth Day 2014 to help combat the plastic pollution problem.

Laundry Detergent

Another of our friendly finds for this episode is laundry detergent. We’re not talking about the laundry detergent you’re probably used to using. This laundry detergent is found in sheets, not plastic jugs or bottles, so it helps reduce your dependency on plastic. Earth Breeze’s eco sheets are vegan, cruelty-free and hypoallergenic, as well. Use our link and you’ll get free shipping.

Bento or Lunch boxes

Whether you have kids who need to bring their lunch to school, or you want to bring lunch to work, you’re going to need a bento or lunch box. Rather than choosing plastic food containers, plastic bags or even brown paper bags, try these stainless steel lunch boxes instead. These lunch boxes from GreenLunch Bento are stainless steel, plastic-free, bpa- and lead-free. They can hold six cups of food, as well. Best of all, they are reusable. Bring it to school or work, eat your lunch, then bring it home to wash and use again.

FOod Storage containers

Since we’re kind of on the topic of storage containers, don’t you think it’s time to ditch your plastic containers and go for something a little more eco-friendly? While I like these glass food storage containers, and use them at home, I really like these EcoPreps containers with bamboo lids.

The benefit of these containers is they are 100% plastic-free, oven- and microwave-safe, waste-free and have a number of smart features. The bamboo lid can double as a cutting board and the design makes the containers leak-proof. It’s the perfect storage container for the fridge, freezer or anywhere you want to go. They would make great meal prep containers, too.

In Summary

I know this article barely touches on all the plastic-free options out there, but that’s okay. At least you have an idea of where to start. If you’re looking to buy other non-plastic products, keep an eye out for plastic alternatives like stainless steel, glass, silicone, bamboo and other reusable materials. Plant-based, compostable and biodegradable options are also key, especially when it comes to the packaging surrounding your products.