Make companies know they need to change
We didn't used to throw away packaging. It used to be washed and reused, but in recent decades we've been told to dispose it
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Even if we want to reuse packaging, it's not easy. Brands simply do not make available their product in ways we can do refills. If you want Dove shampoo or Nivea body lotion, say, you need to buy it in small disposable plastic containers, creating plastic waste every time
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A simple way to reduce plastic waste is for these companies to make their products available in larger volumes so we can do our own refills. We could reduce plastic waste over 70% by doing this
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Imagine you use a 330ml bottle for hand soap. Each bottle and push pump together weigh a little over 30 grams. If you refill the bottle from a 5L bulk container, you get just over 15 refills and prevent over 450g of plastic waste. Net off the 135g weight of the 5L bulk container assuming it’s sent to landfill, and you get to fill 15 bottles for 135g of plastic, reducing your plastic use by over 70%! It’s a similar story for other liquid products like shampoo and laundry detergent
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[5L and 330ml -reasonable?]
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And solutions are emerging where you can reuse the bulk container too, so in time the saving will be greater
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But all this depends on brands making available their product in larger volumes. Some brands are already doing this and helping to prevent plastic waste, so we know that it's technically feasible. If the mass brands got on board, we could quickly prevent a lot of unnecessary plastic waste
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Sign our petition to encourage them to make this easy change
