i know how much my current "contaminated" lifestyle is harming me. i know the necessary changes i need to make to go non toxic but the problem is i dont have any authority. ive got no money to replace\buy things and i cant seem to convince my parents to spend money on anything for eg. a stainless steel pan instead of teflon. so i guess i ll have to knowly move towards infertility for another 3 years
I'm still on my quest to try and find one plastic-free alternative each time I go grocery shopping. Mostly so I don't get overwhelmed by trying to do everything perfectly all at once.
I don't like that a lot of oil and syrup comes in plastic bottles. This might seem like a small thing, but it annoys me that even the ones that come in glass bottles with metal caps will have these plastic reducers/ flow restrictors (Picture 2 for reference, I don't actually know what these things are called). The worst part is I can't even tell if a product has the plastic on the inside until after I buy it and open it. However, I recently found a brand from a Middle East grocery store that doesn't have the plastic inside (with bonus points for it being a nice shaped glass). Then when buying soap online the website I was on had a brand of "olive oil refills" that come in aluminum cans! So when my glass jar is empty I can refill it from the can. It actually makes me so happy!
Honestly this makes way more sense than buying a new glass jar every single time I need more oil or syrup. That extra container expense is being passed onto the consumer I'm sure. Plus I know some states have aluminum can returns where you can get money for recycling. Not the state I live in, Texas hates the environment, but still I think most aluminum gets recycled. I wish I could find more things like canola oil and agave nectar in cans, and if we had a national recycling program people could get money back for their refill containers!
I did a ton of research using Claude Code and Codex and finally bought this one:
Xiaomi Smart Kettle 2 Pro. Funnily enough, Xiaomi doesn't advertise it as “plastic-free”. I have tested it now for a few days and I am happy with it.
imo perfect plastic free kettle (if you want temperature control, see note* down below)
- The inner chamber is a single-piece / unibody 304 stainless steel unit.
- The lid / top is made entirely of 304 stainless steel as well
- no plastic or fancy stuff on the spout as well. just stainless steel.
The material at the bottom near the temperature sensor is silicon (confirmed by xiaomi customer support via email).
besides the whole plastic free topic, kettle looks very nice. essentialism / puristic. no fluff. also easy / good ux to set temperature. i dont really care about the smart home stuff. also dont have it connected to my phone. price is also good for 50 bucks or so. happy to answer any questions one have.
took some images: https://imgur.com/a/8cTnDzQ
* otherwise silicon at the bottom for temp control is deal breaker obv - but there is afaik nothing on the marketing providing temp contrl without silicon... so for this usecase its afaik the best available option
I just got one of these and im wondering if its toxic to use because i keep reading how theres alot of microplastics in it. Is this safe? I really hate the gym sauna.
Pure PHA bioplastics are 100% organic, compostable, RENEWABLE and do NOT produce TOXIC microplastics! And while even more advancements have been made with PHAs since this article.. it is one of the most complete, scientifically based analysis I have ever read.
Please check out the link below from the NIH (an official U.S. government website) and join the discussion. Help us spread the word about PHAs and their promising potential..
I know there are already a few brands starting to make activewear with more natural fibres and lower-synthetic materials, which is great to see. But honestly, it still feels pretty limited compared to how huge the activewear industry is.
A lot of the options either aren’t very stylish, don’t perform as well for workouts, or are super expensive.
Do you think there’s still a need/demand for more brands in this space? Especially ones that could combine:
lower-plastic materials
flattering/stylish designs
actual workout performance
Or do most people ultimately prioritize performance over the fabric composition?
Genuinely curious how people feel about this.
Trying to reduce the plastic in our beauty/health products one at a time.
We’re out of kids body wash.
Problem I have with a soap bar is that it is just way too slippery for my kids to really use (6&9) and they never put it back so it just wastes away to quickly.
Body wash wise, I have something I like that gentle and not expensive because it you have kids you’ll know they squirt out body wash like there’s no tomorrow.
Interested to see what solutions you have had luck with. I’m in Europe so products recs appreciated!
Trying to find any options. I am keeping the water machine but I want to cut down. Needs to be light enough to still work on machine
I know microplastics are everywhere now, and a big source is just using normal stuff like plastic cutting boards or heating things up.
I don’t want to go extreme and throw away all my plastic items, but I want to start a realistic "plastic detox" for my body. What are some low-effort, practical tips to flush them out or minimize daily exposure without living like a caveman?
I'm looking for cotton shirts and it seems that Dilling has a good option. They're 34 euro though and idk if that's expensive. Has anyone bought cotton t-shirts from them? How are they?
This is the one I'm considering: https://eu.dilling.com/product/mens-cotton-t-shirt-pg-1050-0102-999
Can someone please confirm if this is 100% eco friendly. I am concerned about the strings.
Listen, I know you want to look good in your skin tight clothes...but what’s really sexy is, fertility.
Nature doesn't make fabrics like that for a reason. Polyester isn’t some miracle material...it’s basically recycled plastic. We all know you shouldn’t heat up food in plastic, but when you go to hot yoga or on a run in polyester you’re basically heating up yourself in a plastic container.
Polyester clothes contain endocrine disrupting chemicals, BPA, and heavy metals. All of it rubs right into your skin, exactly where you don’t want it.
That’s not all. Polyester also carries an electrostatic field. Sounds woo-woo, but it’s real. Your body is electrical, and fabrics hold a frequency. Wrap yourself in polyester long enough and you’re literally scrambling your hormone production...and that is what some of the studies shows now.
If you wouldn’t drink a bottle of BPA and microplastics, don’t wear them pressed against your skin.
Stick to natural fibers. Cotton, linen, wool, hemp. Nature got it right.
And if you own a dog, definitely don't put them in polyester pants.
Highlights:-
Blogs:-
https://matethelabel.com/blogs/mate-journal/common-endocrine-disruptors-found-in-fashion
https://twomoonshealth.co/blogs/all/hormone-disruptors-in-clothing
https://vibrantbodycompany.com/blogs/education/does-polyester-cause-cancer
https://www.sustainablejungle.com/is-polyester-bad-for-you/
https://orbasics.com/blogs/stories/chemicals-in-clothing-is-polyester-an-endocrine-disruptor-1
https://www.eviemagazine.com/post/polyester-underwear-could-be-causing-widespread-infertility-in-men
https://opok.com/blogs/news/polyester-and-male-fertility-the-hidden-danger-in-your-clothing
https://friendtex.com/does-polyester-underwear-cause-infertility/
https://lifestylemonitor.cottoninc.com/cmon-get-healthy/
https://scienceinsights.org/is-polyester-an-endocrine-disruptor/
Instead of plastic straws every restaurant could have dandelions growing outside and every customer picks their own dandelion and uses it as a straw.
I know this works because the other day I was eating a dandelion from my lawn and I realized that the stem was hollow AND it’s edible. So obviously my first instinct was to stick it in a drink and test it out. And it actually worked perfectly as a straw! Also the straw is a plant so it wont get soggy in liquid like stupid paper straws. And when you’re done with the straw you can just throw it anywhere outside because it’ll decompose or you could eat it if you want.
The stem does have a slightly bitter lettuce-like taste after the first sip but then it just functions normally.
Anyways let me know what you think of my idea!
I'm just really getting started and am feeling so overwhelmed. How/where did you all start? What are the big areas to tackle first? I'm assuming one good place to start is to just gradually replenish items you've used with plastic-free options, but are there things that should really just be replaced and not wait for them to run out? I try to be conscious about what I buy and yet looking around my house I could just go balls to the walls replacing everything. Rug, workout clothes, toiletries, coffee maker, children's toys, couch cushion covers, etc etc. I feel like I could go crazy and broke. In case it helps deciding where to start, I'm also trying to conceive. tyia!
ETA: Thank you all so much for your replies! I'm definitely feeling better about the things I'm already doing, and talked off the diving board for a more gradual approach. I really like thinking about the different ways to prioritize.
Starting to swap out my closet slowly and starting with the really important basics like underwear and bras, and having a really hard time finding what I’m looking for - I normally just wear a cropped Cami type sports bra because I have a pretty active job but I can’t find anything with any sort of padding or enough layering where you can’t tell if it’s cold at work if you know what I mean lol. Has anyone had any luck finding any sort of padded cropped tank top or sports bra?
Where can I recycle used HDPE woolpack bags?
The material is 100% HDPE plastic with polyolefin labels and nylon stitching
Any recommendations for recycling factories, buyers, or processing companies would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Hello! I am looking for a non-toxic bath mat for my shower. I want one that isn’t just a clear silicone mat but that actually is kind of cute. Can be natural looking or colorful but I know colors would probably be toxic.
This bag has receipts that are at least 15 years old. Many receipts I unfold have this green and opaque soft debris that flies everywhere. I did a little research and learned that receipts use thermal paper which has the highest concentration of BPA of basically anything and that is what that debris is! I didn't think much beforehand, so there I was just going through everything with no gloves or mask and I can't help but think of all of the BPA I absorbed in the 2 hours it took me to go through everything.
In this Home Depot shopping bag full of receipts there was like a cup of this 'plastic receipt debris' that fell into my carpet, and my OCD is making me wonder if vacuuming it even picked all that BPA laden waste up or if it's just always going to be in the air and carpet .
Sighs** I hate plastic and now I'm paranoid my bedroom just turned into a toxic wasteland.
I am ginger and burn easily. I usually just cover up with clothing, but I need spf 30 minimum for my face. I usually choose 50 if it's available. I don't trust myself to make my own spf, so that's not an option. I have a really good zinc in a cardboard tube which is perfect for surfing but a pain for anything else. Can anyone recommend an spf I can use on my face everyday which doesn't come in a plastic bottle?
Eastman Tritan™ copolyester, a novel plastic used as a replacement for bisphenols and manufactured utilizing three monomers, can be released from products, potentially entering biological fluids, and could exert estrogenic activity