The worst household plastics | Friends of the Earth

photo of plastics being collected on beach

Plastic pollution is doing terrible damage to marine life and our wider environment.

Many of us feel shocked enough to want to fix the problem. But with so much plastic everywhere, where do you start?

Our homes tend to be bursting with plastic, and huge amounts of it ends up in the sea. So let’s look at everyday plastics that contribute most to the problem – and what we can do about them.

Wet wipes: fatbergs in a sewer near you

Millions of disposable wipes end up being flushed down the toilet because they seem like moist tissues. But they usually contain plastic, and don’t just dissolve. Even wipes labelled “flushable” can cause chaos in sewers (fatbergs are also wetwipebergs) and ultimately in rivers and oceans.

There are alternatives – either reusable, washable cloths or genuinely degradable/compostable wipes. But we also need better labelling on packaging, so that people know flushing wipes is never a good idea.

What are wet wipes made of?

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Crisp packets: plastic-free snacking

Almost none of our snack packaging is easy to recycle. Those tough, shiny-lined packs that keep our crisps crunchy and fresh are a plastic-foil hybrid that can’t go in the recycling. Dropped in the street they can blow into drains, rivers and the sea.

Practical solutions are in the pipeline – but given the billions of packets of crisps we eat every year manufacturers could do with incentives to get a move on.

How long do crisp packets last?

Microfibres: do these clothes contain plastic?

Clothes and microfibres

Did you know your trousers and dresses might be partly plastic? And when you wash them tiny flecks of microplastics can get rinsed away – into sewers and seas, potentially entering the food chain.

There are some practical steps we can take at home – for example with the way we wash clothes. But it’s tricky to avoid plastics in things like sports or weatherproof clothing. So government action will be key.

Are microfibres in our food chain?

Close up of the front right tyre of a nondescript blue car

Tyre microplastics: from road to sea

The millions of cars and lorries on our roads aren’t just clogging up our lungs and warming our climate with their emissions. Vehicle tyres contain plastics which shed tiny particles onto roads.

These microplastics can end up in drains and waterways, and could ultimately pollute the oceans. It’s a serious and under-reported problem.

We want to see manufacturers make tyres that last longer and don't shed microplastics. The government should tighten regulations and labelling for tyres.

The solutions to tyre microplastics

Menstrual products: plastic-free periods

Millions of disposable menstrual pads and tampons are flushed down toilets every year in the UK, clogging sewers and polluting rivers and seas.

If you don’t fancy the washable, reusable alternatives, there are plastic-free disposables made of organic cotton or other more planet-friendly materials. These ought to be more widely available.

We want to see government push manufacturers and buyers in a plastic-free direction.

Try plastic free periods

Photo of fruit salad in plastic takeaway container

Plastic takeaway cutlery

Disposable tableware includes all sorts of single-use plastic containers and utensils – microwaveable tubs, plastic knives, forks, teaspoons and coffee-stirrers.

Alternatives can be made from materials like bamboo or sugarcane but these could cause other problems. The best option would be to switch to reusable alternatives, which also helps reduce waste.

But is there a role for government action – France, for example, has banned plastic cutlery.

How to ditch disposables

Cosmetics: skincare without plastic

You’ve probably heard of microbeads – tiny plastic particles in hand soap for example, which can end up in our seas. These are banned in rinse-off products like shampoos and toothpastes.

But there are still plastics in skincare products – not just the containers, but in the ingredients: from mascara to sunscreen, even deodorants.

You can look out for more natural skincare alternatives and plastic-free packaging. But ultimately plastic should be banned from these products.

Make your bathroom plastic free

Plastic water bottles: bring your own instead

Single-use plastic bottles – for mineral water, juices and so on – are among the biggest sources of litter on land and in the sea. The UK consumes around 10 billion bottles a year.

Some are recycled, but many are discarded. Plastic bottle caps are a common sight on beaches.

Industry and government should act – for instance by improving recycling, promoting bottle reuse schemes and offering water dispensers. And we can all help by carrying reusable bottles.