The ultimate home-essentials plastic swap checklist

Apr 10

The theme for Earth Day 2024 is Planet vs. Plastics—a battle we know and care about!

Here at Ridwell, we’re focused on fighting plastic waste by keeping more out of landfills—especially the kind that are difficult to avoid, but can’t be picked up by curbside recycling services, like bubble wrap and food packaging.

Some everyday plastic is relatively easy to swap out, however. We’re sharing a room-by-room checklist we put together with our friends at Grove Collaborative to help you swap home essentials you might overlook. Even making one or two swaps is worthwhile—these things add up to have a big impact!

Grove is one of our favorite places to shop online for more sustainable home essentials. By helping people use less plastic in favor of sustainable options, they align with our mission of building a future without waste. They offer tons of no-plastic and low-plastic alternatives, plus every order is 100% plastic neutral. That means for every ounce of plastic they do sell, Grove recovers the same amount of ocean-bound plastic pollution—15 million pounds so far!

Before we get to the checklist, here are three main themes to keep in mind if you’re looking to swap plastic out of your home:

Look for refillables. It’s easy to find refillable options for products like hand soap—and sustainably minded shoppers will have noticed them for everything from deodorant to candles. Refills tend to come with less packaging and reduce the number of non-recyclable pumps and sprayers you buy. Aluminum is our favorite option for refillable vessels—it’s infinitely recyclable!
Consider powders and solids instead of liquids. Lots of brands eliminate plastic by choosing form factors that don’t need a bottle—shampoo bars and laundry sheets, for example.
Group your online purchases. The packaging industry produces more plastic every year than any other industry. If you bundle orders from one retailer, you can cut back on shipping envelopes, bubble wrap, Styrofoam, and other plastic packaging.

If you’ve already bought single-use plastic products, go ahead and use them—just dispose of them as sustainably as possible. Ridwell is here for ziptop bags, loose plastic lids, food pouches, and lots more!