5 Single Use Plastic Alternatives Everyone Must Try.

An easy resource of conscious brands, home-grown products and single use plastic alternatives plastic – in India and elsewhere.

Naysayers will often tell you that one person adopting single use plastic alternatives will change nothing. But the more I travel, the more I realise how much power each individual has to shape the destiny of our beloved planet.

In Kerala, I met a humble auto rickshaw (tuk tuk) driver who has been taking bank loans to plant and nurture native trees, creating green spaces around his village.

In Japan, I heard of a visionary local who literally saved the Japanese Macaques (snow monkeys) from extinction, by fighting an order permitting their hunting.

In Mumbai, a well-off lawyer decided to personally clean his neighbouring Versova Beach, leading weekly clean-up drives for two years, resulting in the return of Olive Ridley turtles for their mating season after a 20-year hiatus!

Also read: I Love Spiti: A Campaign to Save Spiti Valley from Single Use Plastic

Inspired by the road, I’ve made several changes to my consumption patterns over the past few years. With a mission to gradually move towards zero waste living, I’ve consciously cut down buying and accepting single-use plastic.

That means adopting more single use plastic alternatives and eco-friendly products, including bamboo straws, a menstrual cup, cloth bags and cloth pads.

I’ve tried to create this easy resource of eco-friendly products and single use plastic alternatives in India – that can help each of us reduce our plastic consumption.

Also read: Sustainable Living Ideas to Embrace as we Emerge Into a New “Normal”

The Need for Single Use Plastic Alternatives

What is single use plastic?

Like the name suggests, single-use plastic consists of all plastic products that are only good for one-time use and must be discarded thereafter. These include plastic shopping bags, plastic straws, plastic cutlery and plastic drinking water / beverage bottles.

The plastic used in each of these products is low-grade plastic – not recommended to be reused, often leeches chemicals and hard to recycle. It lands up in dumping grounds around the world, and gradually in our oceans, where it threatens marine life.

Is single use plastic a problem in India?

Back in the day, neighborhood kirana stores in India sold everything out of large glass bottles – biscuits, namkeens, grains, pulses, etc. They were weighed, wrapped in used newspaper with threads and given to the consumer. Many consumers re-used the newspaper and saved the thread – a rarity back then.

Other products, like liquid shampoos and detergents, either came as paper-wrapped bars in the shops or were fashioned from indigenous natural sources (like soapnuts) at home. Soft drinks were sold in glass bottles, to be returned for a deposit.

Then times changed. Brands like Pepsi, Coca Cola and Unilever invaded local stores, offering up small, convenient products in plastic bottles, sachets and packets. These days, local kirana stores hardly sell anything that isn’t packaged in plastic.

Also read: Zero Waste Stores in India to Cut Your Plastic Footprint“

What happens to plastic waste in India?

Unfortunately, formal recycling plants are still few and far beyond in India, while the waste problem continues to mount. An informal network of ragpickers salvage and resell glass bottles, tetra boxes, cardboard, newspaper etc for their living.

Most single use plastic though, is not good enough to resell, reuse or recycle. It piles up on our mountain sides, in the rivers, in over-filled landfills and in the ocean. Gradually, it leeches into the soil and groundwater, or chokes marine animals to death.

What about the single use plastic ban in India?

In 2019, the Indian government announced a blanket ban on single use plastic in India. The announcement was later retrieved, clarifying that some kinds of single use plastic would be phased out 2022.

Some states in India have officially banned plastic bags, though the enforcement varies.

That leaves the onus on us, as consumers, to send a strong message to brands with what we choose to buy. As we continue to demand policy action, we must reduce our own plastic footprint through “Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.”

Also read: Can We Reduce Single Use Plastic During the Pandemic?

Biodegradable plastic alternatives

Here are 5 simple steps to cut down our mindless consumption and adopt single use plastic alternatives – on our travels and in everyday life:

STEP 1: Say a firm NO to plastic shopping bags

Opt for eco-friendly plastic bag alternatives

Consider this: It is estimated that every year, the world uses 500 billion plastic bags! This is no surprise considering we’re offered a plastic bag each time we buy anything – at a fancy mall, at a kirana (neighborhood) store, at the vegetable shop, even when we’re piggy-backing food. Each of us could easily – and unconsciously – be accumulating 5-10 plastic bags in a day.

As you move towards plastic free living, this habit of asking for, or accepting plastic bags, needs to go. And it’s really simple too: always carry a reusable bag with you. Keep it in your handbag or car at all times – and remember, cloth bags can easily be washed, so it doesn’t really matter if you put veggies in or something spills over.

Alternatives to single use plastic bags

Cloth Bags

I bought a Small Steps bag, produced by Upasana Design Studio in Auroville, over four years ago, and I’m still using it. It folds up into a tiny pack for convenience, can be washed easily, lasts for years and has allowed me to say no to thousands of plastic bags! The initiative employs village women, so your purchase helps sustain their livelihood too.

Where to buy cloth bags in India: Small Steps || YellowBags

Biodegradable ‘plastic’ bags (good as plastic food bag alternatives and plastic garbage bag alternatives)

If you’re looking for bags that are as handy as plastic bags, consider buying their eco-friendly version – they look and act like plastic, but are made of vegetable starch and natural extracts, and decompose in 3-4 months. These are easy alternatives for garbage bags, wrapping covers and shopping bags.

Where to buy biodegradable, eco-friendly plastic bags in India: Regeno Bio Bags || Envigreen

Upcycled plastic bags

If you really want to make a statement against plastic shopping bags, consider buying a bag made from upcycling discarded plastic bags – cleaned, shredded and manually weaved on a handloom! The initiative creates livelihoods for tribal women in Dadra and Nagar Haveli – and these could make for incredible plastic bag alternatives for retail.

Where to buy upcycled plastic bags in India: Aarohana online shop

Wash and reuse resealable bags (plastic ziplock bag alternatives)

I cringe when I can find no alternatives to plastic-packaged groceries, but I try to look for resealable bags that I can later clean and reuse as plastic ziplock bag alternatives!

Any bag or backpack you own (easiest plastic bags alternatives)

Chances are, you already own a small bag or backpack to carry your stuff while out of home, or when you travel – made of jute, denim, cloth or fabric. Use those bags to keep your purchases. Every time you say “no” to a plastic shopping bag, you are contributing towards a greener earth.

Also read: 15 Responsible Travel Tips for More Immersive Experiences on the Road

STEP 2: Stop buying plastic bottled water and accepting complimentary bottles

Switch to plastic bottle alternatives

If you’ve travelled anywhere in India, you’ve probably seen how our hill stations and tourist hubs are littered with discarded Bisleri and Aquafina bottles. Picking them up and throwing them into a trash can is not enough – only 2% of these bottles are recycled globally. The rest will take atleast 500 years to decompose. Doesn’t that suck for our earth?

Like every other traveller, I’m guilty of having purchased mineral water bottles in my earliest travel days. How can I embrace plastic free living on the road? What single use plastic alternatives do I have for safe drinking water? I always wondered. Turns out, the alternatives are aplenty, only if we decided to commit to not buying plastic bottles.

Plastic water bottle alternatives

Durable water bottle + filtered water

I swear by this easy solution, not just in India but around the world, on public transport, even in hotels. It is easy to buy a good-looking, durable, BPA-free water bottle and keep it in your backpack at all times. Over years of travelling, I’ve almost never had trouble refilling my bottle with clean, filtered water – at homestays, guesthouses, hotels, restaurants, cafes or a local’s home – and it’s mostly free! That’s a lot of plastic bottles (and money) saved.

Where to buy a water bottle in India: Any supermarket, sports store or on Amazon

Water bottled fitted with a filter

Single use plastic bottle alternatives growing in popularity are reusable bottles fitted with an in-built filter. You can fill water anywhere, in a regular tap or even a waterfall, let the filter work its magic and suck out clean water. Many of my friends swear by the LifeStraw Go bottles – which pack in a powerful 2-stage filtration system to remove 99.99% of waterborne bacteria, parasites and microplastics.

Water bottle fitted with a filter in India: LifeStraw Go ||  Tata Swach 

A portable water filter

For a long time, I used the SteriPEN – a handheld water filter that I could stir around in any water to purify it using ultraviolet technology. It was easy to recharge and convenient to carry, until I lost it somewhere along the way. LifeStraw also offers a travel-friendly water filter, that you can stick into any water and suck pure water from – super convenient for long hikes and camping.

Portable travel-friendly water filters in India: SteriPEN || LifeStraw 

Water purifying tablets

I’ve met many travellers who swear by water purification tablets – drop a pill in and drink up! These are reliable plastic alternatives for bottles, worth getting for a short trip and sensitive tummy.

Water purifying tablets in India: Amazon

Should you accept complimentary plastic bottled water on trains and flights, and in hotels?

My suggestion: No. I know everyone feels like they’ve paid for it and therefore should take it. But take a second to think of the greater cost to the environment. I always make sure I carry my own water on trains and flights, and say no to the complimentary ones I’m offered. I shudder to  imagine just how much plastic bottle waste is generated from a single train or flight journey.

For a long time, I hated hotels because it seemed like there was no single use plastic alternative to those complimentary bottles of mineral water (since I hadn’t replaced my SteriPEN).

But in recent times when I’ve stayed in a hotel – in India or elsewhere – I call in-room dining and ask them to send me a jug of filtered water everyday. It works beautifully. And considering that 10,00,000 plastic bottles are consumed in the world every minute, every little step towards plastic free living counts.

Also read: I Love Spiti: How Travellers Must Help Save India’s Surreal Himalayan Desert

STEP 3: Consider if you really need a straw

If yes, opt for plastic straws alternatives

Isn’t it crazy how the whole world has taken to straws to suck liquids out of a bottle or glass? This isn’t about cleanliness – considering we already trust that the bottle or glass is clean enough to hold whatever we’re drinking. This isn’t about convenience either – I mean, how much easier is sipping a liquid through a straw than picking up the bottle or glass to drink directly?

It certainly feels pointless when you read how single-use plastic straws are landing up in the ocean and choking turtles and other marine creatures.

On my part, when I order a drink, I try to remember to say I don’t need a straw. And curse myself every time I forget. Luckily many restaurants and cafes around the world have begun offering alternative straws – including steel and bamboo straws. I recently picked up a pair of straws made with recycled paper, you know, for drinking coconut water 😉

Eco friendly plastic alternatives to drinking straws

Natural bamboo straws

I’ve tried these at some eco-conscious cafes, and I love them for their natural texture when you suck on them. They are washable (with a special brush), reusable, bio-degradable and sustainable plastic alternatives, given that bamboo is among the fastest growing grasses!

Where to buy bamboo straws in India: Bamboo India || Bare Necessities

Stainless steel straws

Stainless steel straws are popular single use alternatives to plastic straws – washable, durable and reusable.

Where to buy steel straws in India: Steel Straws || Suckin

Paper straws

I feel conflicted about using paper straws – since they tend to disintegrate while you’re still sipping your drink and can only be used once. I haven’t come across recycled paper straws in India yet.

Other natural straws

I just heard that someone in Mexico has come with straws made of avocado seeds! And it was recently reported that “doodly straws“, made of coconut leaves, will hit the Indian market soon. I wonder what other eco-friendly plastic alternatives will become available as the demand grows!

Also read: Dreaming of Ladakh? It is Upon Us to Conserve This Incredible Place on Earth

STEP 4: Think before you buy: Plastic toothbrushes, sanitary pads and disposable cutlery

Choose plant based plastic alternatives instead

It’s pretty horrifying to look around and realize how much of what we use in our daily lives is made of non-biodegradable plastic – right from toothbrushes and sanitary pads to pens and disposable take-away containers and cutlery. While it’s not easy to eliminate these and lead a more sustainable, zero-waste, plastic free lifestyle, we need to start taking little steps towards re-evaluating what we buy.

Plastic toothbrush alternatives

Even though we end up using a toothbrush for a few months before discarding it, it certainly adds up over a lifetime – and in the trash ground or ocean where it remains over the long decomposing period. After resisting for a long time, I finally switched to a bamboo toothbrush a couple of month ago – and I couldn’t be happier. Every morning, while brushing my teeth, I inadvertently think of other ways to reduce my plastic footprint.

Where to buy a bamboo toothbrush in India: Bamboo India || Bare Necessities

Non plastic alternatives to sanitary pads / tampons

The dreaded monthly menstruation days can be just a little less dreadful if we switch away from non-biodegradable sanitary pads and tampons (imagine the monthly waste we create!), to more eco-friendly alternatives.

I put off using the menstrual cup for really long, choosing biodegradable HeyDay and Drion pads instead. Then I found out that biodegradable pads only go back to the earth if you compost them separately.

That compelled me to finally try the menstrual cup, and I’m so glad to share I had a breakthrough. I’m in love with my menstrual cup now!

I also intend to try the period-proof Thinx underwear when I visit the US next time.

Where to buy eco-friendly sanitary products in India:

• Washable cloth pads: EcoFemme || Jaioni
• Mentrual cups: Silky Cup || Rustic Art

Plastic alternatives for food storage / Alternatives to single use plastic cutlery

The thing that bothers me most about ordering in food or getting a takeaway is the plastic waste that comes with it – plastic spoons and fork, foil and plastic containers. I always indicate in my order that I don’t need plastic cutlery or a plastic bag, and now carry my own reusable food containers and biodegradable cutlery.

Where to buy eco-friendly food containers, cutlery and tableware in India: 

• Biodegradable food containers and tableware: Chuk || Pappco Green Ware || Eco Ware || Green Handle || Astu
• Edible cutlery (made of jowar): Nammaboomi || Bakeys 

Best plastic alternatives travel kit

Not sure where to begin? Buy a pre-made Sustainable travel kit on EcoTrunk, featuring a bamboo toothbrush, bamboo straws, natural soap and more.

Also read: How An Entire Village Transformed from Poaching Birds to Protecting Them

STEP 5: Reconsider your choices – where to eat and stay, and who to travel with

It is upon us, individuals, to convince accommodations, travel companies and restaurants that we care about their choices. That it bothers us when they offer complimentary bottled water or plastic straws. That their commitment to be a no-plastic zone makes us pick them over their competitors. That we are watching them.

How can we do that? Social media, of course. Many of us use Twitter to highlight cafes in India who say no to plastic straws, for instance.

Travel companies and accommodations in India that take a stand against single-use plastic

• Most accommodations and travel companies I’ve featured in the following blog posts have a strict policy against single-use plastic:
  •  Offbeat, incredible and sustainable: These travel companies are changing the way we experience India
  • Indulge yourself and spare the planet: 10 incredible eco-lodges around the world
  • Awe-inspiring hideouts in Uttarakhand to tune out of life and tune into the mountains
  • Read my responsible travel tips for meaningful, authentic experiences around the world
  • Other “Responsible travel” finds around the world
• Some Marriott hotels now use glass bottles to offer complimentary water in the rooms.
• ResponsibleTravel.com has introduced “No Single Use Plastic Holidays“, featuring trips around the world where no single-use plastic is used in the accommodations, restaurants, transport or activities.

What else can we do? Spread the word about eco-friendly plastic alternatives

• Use the above single-use plastic alternatives in everyday life and while travelling, and inspire others to take action too.
• Chat with the owners of our favorite cafes / restaurants / accommodations to replace plastic straws and packaging with eco-friendly alternatives.
• Encourage our offices to go single-use plastic free.
• Gift single use plastic alternatives to friends and family; we can all use a little push sometimes.

Let’s stop thinking of protecting the earth as someone else’s business, and make it our own.

What single use plastic alternatives have you tried in India or elsewhere? What are your challenges?

Big thank you to everyone who shared ideas for eco-friendly alternatives with me on Instagram and Twitter! Would you like to see more such posts on this blog?

Got interesting ideas around travel and environmental protection? Collaborate with me to initiate a new Passion Project.

*Note: The Amazon products mentioned in this post are affiliate links; if you choose to click through these and buy, I’ll earn a little bit at no extra cost to you. This allows me to spend more time and effort creating meaningful posts.

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