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Swaps – ErasePlastic
Plastic Swaps

What you're using —
and what to use instead

Every row shows the everyday plastic product and the alternative that replaces it. No greenwashing, no filler — just the swaps that matter.

🍳

Kitchen

The room with the highest daily microplastic ingestion. Cooking surfaces, utensils, and food storage are the biggest sources.

⚠ What you're probably using
✓ The swap
Non-Stick Teflon Pan

PTFE coatings degrade above 260°C, releasing microplastic particles and toxic fluoropolymer fumes directly into food with every use.

Lodge Cast Iron Skillet

Zero synthetic coatings — just raw iron. Lasts decades, improves with use, and never sheds a single microplastic particle into food.

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Plastic Cutting Board

Studies found plastic boards shed up to 50 million microplastic particles per year directly into the food being chopped on them.

Greener Chef Bamboo Cutting Board

Naturally antibacterial and sheds zero synthetic particles. Harder than most woods, gentler on knife edges, and biodegradable at end of life.

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Plastic Food Containers

Plastic containers leach BPA, phthalates, and microplastic particles into food — especially when microwaved or filled with hot or acidic food.

Vtopmart Glass Food Storage Set

Glass is completely inert — never leaches chemicals or particles regardless of temperature. Oven-safe, microwave-safe, dishwasher-safe.

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Plastic Cling Wrap

PVC cling wrap contains plasticisers that migrate directly into food on contact — especially with fatty foods like cheese, meat, and leftovers.

Bee's Wrap Beeswax Wraps (3-Pack)

Natural cotton coated in beeswax, tree resin, and jojoba oil. Moulds to any container with hand warmth. Reusable for up to a year.

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Plastic / Nylon Kitchen Utensils

Nylon spatulas and spoons melt microplastic fragments into hot food — releasing more particles the older and more scratched they become.

Wooden Kitchen Utensil Set

Wood tolerates any cooking temperature with zero particle release. A full set covers every kitchen task at the same cost as plastic alternatives.

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Plastic Kitchen Sponge

Standard sponges are plastic foam that shed synthetic microfibers into washing water and onto dishes with every single wash.

Natural Cellulose Sponges

100% plant-based and compostable. Cleans just as effectively without shedding a single synthetic fiber into your water or dishes.

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Plastic-Sealed Teabags

Most teabags are heat-sealed with polypropylene that releases up to 11.6 billion microplastic particles per cup at brewing temperature.

Stainless Steel Tea Infuser

A steel infuser with loose-leaf tea is a permanent fix. Zero plastic in contact with hot water — and loose-leaf tea is typically higher quality too.

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Plastic Ice Cube Tray

Silicone and plastic ice trays leach particles directly into your ice. Every drink is affected — invisibly.

Stainless Steel Ice Cube Tray

100% inert — no migration, no microplastics in your drinks. Stainless steel releases ice cleanly with a simple twist.

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Plastic Baby Bottle

Infants fed from plastic bottles ingest millions of microplastics daily. Exposure during early development is among the most concerning sources.

Glass Baby Bottle

Glass is completely inert and eliminates microplastic ingestion entirely — especially critical during infancy and early development.

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Conventional Dishwasher Tablets (Plastic Tub)

Most dishwasher tablets come in a plastic tub with individual plastic wrapping — a double layer of single-use plastic for every wash.

Plastic-Free Dishwasher Tablets

Individually wrapped in dissolvable film, packaged in cardboard. Effective cleaning with zero plastic packaging waste.

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Plastic Bin Bags

Standard bin bags head straight to landfill and fragment into microplastics in soil and waterways over time. Never designed to degrade.

BioBag Compostable Bin Liners

ASTM D6400 certified compostable. Made from plant starch — break down fully in industrial composting with no microplastic residue left behind.

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Single-Use Plastic Spray Bottles

Standard cleaning products come in single-use plastic bottles thrown away when empty — often not recyclable due to mixed plastic components and residue.

Blueland Cleaning Tablet Set

Dissolvable tablets in a reusable glass or steel bottle permanently replace single-use spray bottles. Add water, drop in a tablet — zero plastic packaging waste.

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Plastic Dish Brush

Plastic dish brushes shed microplastics into washing water with every use — water that goes straight down the drain into the water system.

Natural Wooden Dish Brush

Natural bristles, wooden handle, fully compostable. Cleans just as effectively while shedding zero synthetic particles into washing water.

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Microfiber Cleaning Cloths

Microfiber cloths shed millions of synthetic plastic fibres into your sink and drains with every rinse — one of the most overlooked sources of microplastic pollution.

Organic Cotton Dish Cloths

Washable and fully biodegradable. Replaces synthetic microfiber cloths that shed plastic fibres with every rinse. Durable and naturally absorbent.

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Disposable Coffee Cup

Disposable cups have a plastic polyethylene lining that hot liquid dissolves — releasing roughly 25,000 microplastic particles per cup. Hotter drinks leach faster.

Stanley IceFlow Flip Straw Tumbler

Vacuum-insulated stainless steel with no plastic interior lining. Keeps drinks hot or cold for hours — zero plastic contact with your drink, ever.

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Disposable Plastic Cutlery

Single-use plastic cutlery is used for minutes and takes centuries to break down — fragmenting into microplastics in soil and waterways throughout its long decay.

Bamboo Travel Utensil Set

Fork, knife, spoon, chopsticks, straw, and cleaning brush in a compact cotton pouch. One purchase that permanently eliminates disposable cutlery.

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Single-Use Plastic Carrier Bags

Plastic bags fragment into microplastics throughout their life — not just after disposal. Handling them accelerates particle release onto hands and food.

Organic Cotton Tote Bags (GOTS)

GOTS-certified heavy-duty cotton. One tote replaces 200–500 plastic bags per year per household — fully biodegradable, no synthetic fibres.

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Single-Use Plastic Produce Bags

Thin plastic produce bags are almost never recycled. They fragment into microplastics in landfill and frequently escape into the environment.

Reusable Produce Mesh Bags 9-Pack

Natural cotton mesh — lightweight enough not to affect grocery scales, washable, and cashiers can see the contents clearly through the mesh.

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Disposable Plastic Lunch Bags

Plastic zip-lock and sandwich bags are single-use and rarely accepted by household recycling. Most end up in landfill or as environmental microplastic contamination.

PlanetBox Launch Stainless Steel Lunch Box

Food-grade stainless steel with no plastic food contact surfaces. Replaces disposable bags and single-use containers for packed lunches every day.

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💧

Drinking Water

Bottled water averages 325 microplastic particles per litre. Filtered tap water is both cleaner and cheaper.

⚠ What you're probably using
✓ The swap
Single-Use Plastic Water Bottle

Bottled water contains an average of 325 microplastics per litre. Heat from a warm bag or car significantly accelerates leaching with every sip.

Hydro Flask 32oz Stainless Steel Bottle

18/8 pro-grade stainless steel, uncoated interior. Zero plastic leaching at any temperature. Keeps drinks cold 24h, hot 12h. Lifetime warranty.

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Unfiltered Tap Water

Tap water contains an average of 5.45 microplastic fibres per litre. At 2 litres per day that's thousands of particles per week, invisible and tasteless.

SOMA Glass Water Filter Pitcher

The only mainstream pitcher with a glass body — which matters when the goal is reducing plastic contact with filtered water. B-Corp certified, plant-based filter.

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No Under-Sink Filtration

Without filtration, microplastics, PFAS, lead, and chlorine pass directly from your tap into every glass of water and every pot of food.

Waterdrop Under-Sink Filter

Multi-stage under-sink filter, no tank needed. NSF/ANSI 42 certified. Installs in under 30 minutes — the best value between a pitcher and a full RO system.

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Plastic-Interior Kettle

Kettles with plastic-lined interiors shed microplastics into boiling water — every cup of tea or coffee is affected, every single day.

Cosori Electric Kettle (Stainless Interior)

Stainless steel interior with no plastic lining contacting your water. A simple swap that improves every hot drink you make for years.

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🚿

Bathroom

Plastic bottles, synthetic polymer ingredients, and single-use personal care items. Most can be replaced with a single purchase that lasts months.

⚠ What you're probably using
✓ The swap
Liquid Shampoo in Plastic Bottle

Many shampoos contain synthetic polymer additives and the bottle itself degrades releasing particles. Hot shower water accelerates leaching from plastic packaging.

Shampoo & Conditioner Bar Set

Zero plastic packaging. One bar replaces 2–3 bottles and lasts longer due to higher ingredient concentration. Sulphate-free formula.

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Plastic Toothbrush

Standard toothbrushes are made from nylon and polypropylene. Bristles wear and shed micro-fragments into your mouth twice a day, every day.

Bamboo Toothbrush 4-Pack

Compostable bamboo handle, cleans identically to plastic. A 4-pack covers a full year. Over a billion plastic toothbrushes go to landfill annually.

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Toothpaste in Plastic Tube

Many conventional toothpastes contain microbeads as abrasives. The laminate tube itself is almost never recycled and leaches particles as it ages.

Toothpaste Tablets — Glass Jar

Fluoride toothpaste in a refillable glass jar. No plastic tube, no microbeads, no mess. Equally effective at plaque removal — available with or without fluoride.

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Liquid Soap in Plastic Pump

Single-use plastic pump bottles are made from multiple plastics that cannot be easily recycled. The average household goes through dozens per year.

Natural Soap Bar

Package-free and plastic-free. No plastic pump, no bottle — just natural soap that lasts longer than liquid alternatives per wash.

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Plastic Soap Pump Dispenser

Single-use dispensers are thrown away when empty. Made from mixed plastics rarely accepted by kerbside recycling collections.

Glass Soap Dispenser

Refillable glass and metal dispenser. Buy liquid soap in bulk and refill — one purchase that eliminates single-use plastic pumps permanently.

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Disposable Plastic Razor

Disposable razors are made from multiple mixed plastics. The lubricating strip contains synthetic polymers that transfer to skin with each use.

Stainless Steel Safety Razor

One razor lasts a lifetime. Only the blade is replaced — fully recyclable and far cheaper than cartridge refills. Zero plastic ever contacts your skin.

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Single-Use Cotton Pads

Conventional cotton pads come in plastic packaging and most contain synthetic fibres blended with cotton that don't biodegrade.

Organic Cotton Reusable Face Rounds

Washable, reusable organic cotton rounds. A set of 20 replaces thousands of disposable pads — machine washable, softer on skin, zero synthetic fibres.

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Conventional Deodorant (Plastic Roll-On)

Standard roll-ons come in plastic tubes with synthetic fragrance, aluminium compounds, and chemical preservatives that absorb through skin every day.

Schmidt's Natural Deodorant

Aluminium-free, cardboard stick. One of the most effective natural deodorants available — no synthetic fragrance, no harsh chemicals, no plastic packaging.

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Nylon Dental Floss (Plastic Container)

Conventional floss is made from nylon — a plastic — in a plastic dispenser. Billions are thrown away every year and almost none are recycled.

Silk Dental Floss — Refillable Glass

Natural silk fibre, no PTFE coating. Glass and metal dispenser that refills indefinitely. Fully compostable, equally effective at plaque removal.

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Disposable Tampons & Pads

Conventional menstrual products contain synthetic fibres, plastic applicators, and are individually wrapped in single-use plastic — every month, for decades.

Saalt Menstrual Cup

One cup replaces up to 2,400 disposable tampons or pads over its lifetime. Medical-grade silicone — no plastic applicators, no synthetic fibres, no waste.

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Plastic Shower Pouf

Synthetic shower poufs shed plastic microfibers with every use — directly into water that runs across your skin and into the drain.

Almooni Natural Egyptian Loofah

100% natural plant-based loofah. Fully biodegradable at end of life — sheds only organic plant fibres, never synthetic plastic particles.

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🧺

Laundry

A 6kg load of synthetic laundry can release 700,000+ microfibers into wastewater. These products intercept them before they reach the drain.

⚠ What you're probably using
✓ The swap
Liquid Detergent in Plastic Bottle

Standard liquid detergents come in single-use plastic. Many formulas contain synthetic polymer thickeners that pass through water treatment systems unchanged.

Laundry Detergent Sheets

Pre-measured dissolvable sheets in cardboard packaging. Zero plastic, no mess, equally effective at all temperatures — hot or cold wash.

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Synthetic Clothes Washed Without a Filter

Polyester, nylon, and acrylic shed 700,000–1.4 million microfibers per wash cycle. These pass through most water treatment facilities completely unchanged.

Microfiber Catching Laundry Bag

Place synthetic clothes inside before washing. Captures up to 99% of shed microfibers before they reach the drain — then empty the bag into the bin.

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Synthetic Dryer Sheets

Dryer sheets are made from polyester coated in synthetic fragrance chemicals that transfer directly onto clothes — and then onto your skin all day.

Wool Dryer Balls 6-Pack

100% natural wool. Reduces drying time by 25%, softens laundry, cuts static — zero chemical residue. Reusable for over 1,000 loads.

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Synthetic Stain Remover (Plastic Bottle)

Most stain removers come in plastic bottles with synthetic chemical formulas that linger on fabrics and re-release into wash water with every cycle.

Plastic-Free Stain Remover Bar

Applied directly to stains before washing. No plastic bottle, cardboard packaging — effective on a wide range of household stains without synthetic chemicals.

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Liquid Bleach in Plastic Bottle

Chlorine bleach in single-use plastic. Produces harmful by-products when reacting with organic matter in the wash and downstream in the water system.

OxiClean Free Oxygen Bleach

Fragrance-free oxygen bleach powder in cardboard. Colour-safe, chlorine-free, one of the most effective stain and whitening treatments available.

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🛏️

Bedroom

You spend a third of your life in this room. Synthetic textiles and unfiltered air are the primary sources of overnight microplastic inhalation.

⚠ What you're probably using
✓ The swap
Polyester Bedsheets

Polyester bedding sheds thousands of synthetic microfibers every night — fibres you breathe for 7–9 hours. Body heat accelerates fibre release throughout the night.

GOTS Organic Cotton Bed Sheets

GOTS-certified organic cotton sheds only natural biodegradable fibres. Softer, more breathable, and temperature-regulating compared to synthetic bedding.

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Synthetic Pillow (Polyester Fill)

Polyester fibrefill pillows shed microplastics into bedroom air and directly onto your face for hours every night — among the most intimate plastic exposures.

ORGANIC TEXTILES Natural Wool Pillow

Natural wool fill with an organic cotton shell — no synthetic foam or polyester fibrefill shedding microplastics into the air you breathe all night long.

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Indoor Air Without Filtration

Indoor air contains up to 10x more airborne microplastic fibres than outdoor air. Synthetic textiles, furniture, and rugs constantly shed particles into the air you breathe.

Levoit Core 300 HEPA Air Purifier

True HEPA filter removes 99.97% of particles down to 0.3 microns — including airborne microplastic fibres. Quiet enough to sleep through on its lowest setting.

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Paraffin Wax Candle

Paraffin is a petroleum by-product. When burned it releases synthetic particulates, benzene, and toluene into the room where you sleep and breathe.

100% Soy Wax Candle

Soy wax with a cotton wick burns completely clean — no petroleum by-products, no synthetic fragrance polymer compounds. Often stronger-scented than paraffin alternatives.

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Synthetic Carpet or Rug

Polyester and nylon rugs continuously shed microfibers into indoor air and dust. Walking on them, vacuuming them, or sleeping near them all contribute to inhalation.

nuLOOM Jute Area Rug

Natural jute fibre sheds only biodegradable organic particles. Hard-wearing, handwoven, and a direct replacement for any synthetic rug in the bedroom.

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