Plastic Free July is just around the corner. It is basically as it sounds – a global campaign that encourages us to reduce our plastic consumption during the month of July. It is an opportunity to reassess what we bring into our homes and who we give our money to. Consumer power, y’all! It’s a real thing!
But where to begin? Never fear, for I, Tamara, am here with a random assortment of quick and easy tricks and tips that I use in my daily life. So have a browse and pick one or two of your favourites to try on your low-waste, plastic-free journey. Remember, we need lots of people making small positive changes. Changing up just one thing in your daily life makes a difference. It’s all about progress not perfection.
Let me mention, there are no sponsors or affiliate links in my recommendations – just companies and brands that I use personally. As always, do your research and ensure the companies you give your money to are the ones that share your values and priorities, which may be different from mine.
Sustenance
Whenever you venture outside, carry a reusable bag with you. I love my bag-in-a-bags and like a girl scout, I am always prepared!
Locate and use your local greengrocers. I shop at Portsmouth Fruit and Flower on Milton Market and the majority of their fresh produce is plastic-free, they also provide paper bags instead of plastic and since the pandemic, they also do home delivery!
Refill your pantry staples. We are so lucky in Portsmouth to have the Package Free Larder, Herbies and Wild Thyme Wholefoods who all offer refills on food staples like rice, pasta, cocoa, as well as beauty and cleaning products like hand sanitizer and liquid shampoo.
Reuse glass containers – they are perfect for refills as I mentioned above and they definitely can have a cool Instagramy vibe, if that’s your jam.
Buy multi-pack cans of fizzy pop instead of plastic bottles, ideally in cardboard packaging rather than being wrapped in plastic. Or try cordial in a glass bottle to pimp up your water, The same goes for beers and other multipack drinks – avoid the 6-pack plastic rings. The turtles will thank you. And perhaps try buying your booze from a local independent like The Beer Musketeer, the Portsmouth Distillery and the Southsea Deli.
Social
Buy refiills of hand sanitizer. I get my hand santizer, which is made by The Portsmouth Distillery, at Herbies. Supporting local business and all that jazz.
Get yourself reusable and washable face masks. Or if you are handy, why not make your own. I have multiple masks purchased from local black business Sistah Mandy and a few more which were a Which? Best Buy.
Make your own hot beverages at home to take out, in an insulated reusable cup/ bottle. I love love LOVE my Chilly’s bottle. #notsponsored
Say no to straws when ordering drinks out and carry you own reusable straws. They come in different materials like stainless steel, bamboo and silicone. And you also get a cute teeny weeny straw cleaner which is just a delight in the horror that is doing the dishes.
Lookin’ Goood
Do you or someone you know have long hair? Do they use hair ties to contain their bounteous locks? Get some plastic-free hair ties made from cotton and natural rubber. It may be a small thing (literally) but worth it for the obscure green kudos points!
Read the labels on your clothes and aim for sustainable, plastic free brands and second hand. Two brands I trust are Rapanui, based across the water on Isle of Wight, and People Tree.
Naked toilet paper. No plastic, no packaging. For a deep dive into my toilet paper adventures, check out my post here and Emma’s post here on reuseable family cloths – a toilet paper alternative.
Try low-waste bathroom products like solid soaps (my go-to is Faith in Nature naked soaps from Wild Thyme ), refill products like shower gel, shampoo etc, and deodorant creams in tins or glass jars.
Homey Vibes
Next time you are wrapping a gift, try paper sticky tape. Plastic sticky tape, who dat?
Use washable reusable cleaning cloths instead of disposable wipes.
Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins. They make the dining experience super fancy!
If you have a pet in your life, try sourcing pet food in cans. Tins and cans have a higher recycling value while low-grade plastic is extremely low-value and that is assuming recycling facilities for mixed plastics even exist in your local area.
Consumer Tips $$
Repair items whenever possible. Don’t know how? Vist to Pompey’s Repair Cafe which has recently reopened after a year and more of covid-19 lock downs.
Limit online purchases wherever possible and try to support sustainable, local online brands. Request no plastic packaging for online orders and actively support local traders like Pigeon Books and online shops like Plastic Freedom that aim for low-waste packaging.
Let me know in the Comments section below what you’ll be doing this Plastic Free July. Be it small or be it big, it be something…
As there is currently no national standardized recycling system in the UK, access to recycling facilities varies widely depending on where you live. It’s basically a geographical luck-of-the-draw. Emma’s best friend lives in Bolton and whenever Emma visits, she’s amazed and rather jealous about what Bolton council will divert from the rubbish bin compared to Portsmouth city council. She literally lusts over Bolton’s kerbside recycling where food and drink cartons, foil and foil trays (to name but a few) are all collected, together with the usual suspects of tins, paper and card and plastic bottles.
With countries such as China and Malaysia turning away the UK’s low-quality recycling, dumping our recycling waste on other countries is no longer such an easy option. So, though important, recycling must come after reusing, repairing, and reducing. With this in mind, donating to charity and repairing is included as a recycling option on our list.
For your convenience and our sanity, we’ve structured this list of items by which room in your house they’re most likely to be found. (We’ve included office as well for those of you looking to recycle at work.) We’ve also listed it according to the most convenient place for you to recycle items, i.e. if it can be recycled at home at the kerbside, we’ve stated that.
Prepare yourself, this is one epic post!
Tip: Please ensure items are clean and free of food residue on them. Give items quick rinse and let air dry before recycling.
Terracycle Tip: Public drop-off locations for Terracycle recycling schemes do change and some schemes are time-limited, so check the maps we have included or the Terracycle website for updated locations and information.
The Updated Ultimate Guide to Recycling in Portsmouth
Greetings cards and gift wrapping paper (no glitter or embellishments or foils or plastics)
Telephone directories and Yellow Pages
Small Electrical and Electronic Items (WEEE)
If in working order, donate to charity, and if broken, attempt to repair it at the Repair Café Portsmouth.
If definitely dead as a dodo, recycle at the kerbside. (Leave in a standard-sized supermarket carrier bag on top of your green wheelie bin/ box.)
Broken Sat Navs, Games Consoles, Laptops, Tablets, Cameras, including video cameras, Mobile Phones, and Portable Music Devices can also be donated to Portsmouth Green Party who through Recycling for Good Causes recycle these unwanted items and raise funds.
Living Room: Leave The House
Batteries
Where: Collection Points are located inside the store of most large supermarkets, including Lidl, Tesco, Currys PC World, and Sainsbury’s. (Take a look in your supermarket next time you shop)
What:
All household batteries including ‘button’ batteries from watches.
Battery packs from laptops, mobile phones, power tools and remote control units.
or contact a scrap metal dealer, like this one. (Emma did no research apart from Googling ‘Free Scrap Metal Collection Portsmouth UK’)
Furniture
Donate, give away, or sell.
If not fit for use, try offering on Freecycle or Trash Nothing because some clever crafty people can turn your broken chest of drawers into a child’s toy storage.
Pizza boxes (any parts with food waste or lots of grease should be composted)
Corrugated cardboard
Plastic bottles (No lids), such as:
Home cleaning product bottles like Cleaner and detergent bottles
Drinks bottles
Milk bottles
See where you can recycle the plastic bottle lids further down this list.
Drink Cans and Food tins (please wash), such as:
Drink cans e.g. fizzy drinks cans, beer cans
Food tins e.g. baked beans, fish, soup tins
Pet food tins e.g. dog and cat food tins
Metal sweet and biscuit tins
Food Waste Trial
Portsmouth City Council is launching a food waste kerbside collection trial starting this September 2019 for 6 months. Click here to see if you are one of the lucky households participating.
Yes to all uneaten food and plate scrapings, plastic-free tea bags, shredded paper, coffee grounds, vegetable peelings, eggshells and cut flowers.
No to liquids or packaging of any kind. That includes industrial ‘compostable’ packaging such as Vegware.
Tip: If your road is not part of the food waste trial, see ShareWaste further down this list.
Kitchen: LEAVE THE HOUSE
Recycling Banks/ Supermarkets
Glass Bottles and Jars (including metal lids)
Where: Recycle at Glass Recycling Banks located across the city. Find your nearest one here
What:
Glass bottles of any colour e.g. wine and beer bottles
Food jars e.g. jam jars, baby food jars
Non-food bottles, e.g. perfume, aftershave, face creams
Tip: Did you know you can leave the metal jar lids and the screwcap lids on!
Rigid Mixed Plastics
Where: Rigid Mixed Plastic Recycling Banks at Sainsbury’s Farlington and Sainsbury’s Commercial Road. Sainsbury’s Superstores are the only stores we’ve spotted these mixed plastic recycling banks.
What:
Margarine and ice cream tubs
Confectionary tubs
Rigid plastic food packets
Yoghurt pots
Plastic lids (see below for alternatives to Sainsbury’s)
What: Small plastic bottle tops made from any plastic compound such as Lush bottle caps, milk, soft drinks, sports cap drinks, fabric softener caps.
Where+ What: Take milk bottle lids only to Coffee No. 1 in Southsea
[April 22, 2021
SAD DANCE UPDATE: Unfortunately, St Mary’s Church no longer take foils for recycling. Instead, you can take your foils to the Household Waste Recycling Centre, in Port Solent (aka the tip).]
Foils
Where: Drop it at St Mary’s Church, Fratton 9am-12pm, Monday to Friday.
What:
Clean household foil and aluminium trays
Takeaway containers
Barbeque tray
Tip: Try the scrunch test - if you scrunch it up into a ball and it stays that way (like tin foil does), then it’s probably recyclable aluminium. If it bounces back open it isn't and needs to go in the rubbish bin.
Sign up for Sharewaste, which links people with organic waste like veg peelings and no compost with people with home composters! Tamara has two compost bins and is very proud of her system and many ‘regulars’ who donate their fruit and veg peelings.
What: This depends on the person who accepts your stuff for compost but to give you any idea – Tamara accepts:
Raw, uncooked fruit and veg peelings (remove stickers from fruit etc)
Uncooked eggshells (please crush)
Used tea leaves and used coffee grounds. ( just the contents of the teabags as most teabag casings are made of plastic – unless states plastic-free/ biodegradable tea bags )
Nespresso and Dolce Gusto brands can be sent back for recycling. Check for drop-off locations.
Tip: Did you know that Portsmouth Foodbank welcomes donations of toiletries, Tupperware, tin openers etc for people in need - not just food.
Terracycle Drop Off Locations (Kitchen)
Ella’s Kitchen Baby Food Pouches and Snack Wrappers
Where: About four Terracycle public drop-off locations in Portsmouth and Eco Freaks Emporium in Gosport. See map for details. Alternatively, youcan sign up as a private collector and post the items for free.
What:
Ella’s Kitchen brand of baby food pouches
Ella’s Kitchen brand baby food pouch caps (remember these can also go into Sainsbury’s Mixed Plastics Recycling or be taken to Lush)
Where: There are a handful of Terracycle Crisp Packet public drop-off locations both in the north and south of Portsmouth as well as Eco Freaks Emporium, Gosport. Zoom in on the map for details.
What:
Crisp packets
Crisp multipack outer packaging
Tips: Flatten the crisp packets and do not fold them into triangles. And try Two Farmers Crisps which come in home compostable bags! #notanad
Chocolate and sweets multipack outer plastic packaging
Plastic chocolate block wrappers
Tip: Breakfast, granola and energy bar wrappers are not accepted. See here for more details on what is/isn't accepted.
Home Cleaning Products Packaging
Where: Several locations in North Portsmouth. See map for details.
What: all brands and sizes of –
Plastic bottle caps and plastic trigger heads for home cleaning products
Flexible wipe packaging (used for home cleaning products)
Pumps and caps for home cleaning products
And for the truly dedicated, here are some kitchen items that do not currently have drop-off locations in Portsmouth but can be taken further afield to Fareham, Gosport Denmead etc.
What: Gillette is running a recycling scheme until June 2020 via Terracycle for all brands of razors, blades and disposable razors and their packaging.
Plastic Air Fresheners
Where: A few locations north of Portsmouth. See map for details.
What: all brands and sizes of-
Plastic air fresheners and air freshener cartridges
Plastic air freshener packaging
BEDROOM
BEDROOM: Recycle Kerbside
Aerosols, such as
Deodorant aerosol containers
No lids
Tip: Take the plastic aerosol lids to Sainsbury's mixed plastic banks.
Metal Tins, such as
Shoe polish tins
Deodorant tins
Bedroom: Leave The House
Out and ABout (BEDROOM)
Glass
Where: Glass Recycling Banks can be found across the city. To find your nearest one, go to Portsmouth’s City Council Recycling Locator here.
What:
Glass jars and bottles such as body cream and face cream jars. Remember, you can leave the metal lids on.
Jewellery
What + Where: Donate jewellery including costume jewellery, odd earings, broken pieces, and watches to Portsmouth Green Party. Of course, other organisations and charities also collect for these types of recycling schemes.
Tips: Recycle aerosols kerbside minus the lid, the aerosol lid can go to Sainsbury's Mixed Plastics Recycling Banks, the glass tubs and jars to the Glass Recycling Banks all around town.
Clothingand Accessories
What:
Clothing
Shoes
Bags
Household Linens
Belts
Hats, scarves
Repair:
Try repairing it at the monthly Repair Café Portsmouth at Buckland United Reformed Church.
Donate:
New toGood Condition?
*Prioritise* donating to charity shops and shelters if items are in good, reuseable condition.
In Good to Bad Condition?
Textile Recycling Banks
Where: There are many across the city, check here for your nearest one.
What: Any materials (clothes, shoes & bags and household linen) no matter how old or worn (Please ensure items are clean and place them in a bag).
Not Fit for Use?
Where: Charity Shops and Textile Recycling Banks
What: Rags, materials and textiles not fit for use – including old towels, bedding, clothes, etc
Tip: Put in a separate bag and label it rags, so staff don’t waste time going through it.
Swap for Rewards:
Where: Most M&S stores, including M&S Outlets, and at Oxfam stores offer a ‘Shwop Drop’ box, usually by the tills. Nearest M&S Outlet is in Gunwharf and Oxfam Shop is in Southsea.
What: They accept any item of clothing (even if it’s damaged) from any retailer, including shoes, handbags, jewellery, belts, hats, scarves and bras. You can also Shwop soft furnishings (bed linen, towels, cushions, curtains, throws, aprons, tablecloths and napkins)
Where: +What: H&M accept unwanted clothes by any brand, in any condition, at any of their stores. Nearest H&M is in Commercial Road, Portsmouth.
Others reward schemes exist. Google is your friend.
Bras
As well as the options above, you can also donate your preloved bras to specific bra-focused organisations and charities that redistribute and recycle them.
Tamara particularly likes Against Breast Cancer and Bravissimo, having used both in the past. Freepost your bras to Bravissimo to this address: FREEPOST RLYT-YCYR-YGUH, Bravissimo, 1st Floor, Imperial Court, Holly Walk, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, CV32 4YB.
Towels, Bedding, and Other Large Soft Materials
If it’s not good enough to be sold in a charity shop, but too good for rags, donate to your local animal shelter.
Mattresses
Donate to charity shops or homeless shelters, if in good condition and fit for use.
If not able to reuse, you could take some time stripping it down into individual parts, giving the material to rag bags and the metal to scrap metal collectors.
Or you can take it to the tip.
Sex Toys
Electric ones, i.e. vibrators, can be recycled with Love Honey. (Read more about socially conscious sex here.)
Tip: As electric/battery-operated sex toys are electrical items, they can be recycled kerbside. Leave in a standard-sized supermarket carrier bag on top of your green wheelie bin/ box.
Terracycle Drop Off Locations (Bedroom)
Personal Care Items
Where: Several public drop-off locations in Portsmouth depending on your address, as well at Eco Freaks Emporium, Gosport. See map for details.
Tip: Remember, shredded paper cannot go in the kerbside recycling but it can go in a home composter as well as the new kerbside food waste collection trial.
Packaging from Packages
Where: Join Packshare and donate your packaging materials to small businesses. The closest location accepting materials (at the time of writing) is on Hayling Island.
What:
Cardboard boxes
Bubble wrap
Air pockets
Packing peanuts
Jiffy bags
Poster tubes
Brown paper
Tissue paper
Vinyl mailer 7″ and 12″
Corrugated cardboard
Shredded cardboard
Plastic bags
Garage / Shed
gARAGE AND shed: Leave The House
Energy-efficient Light Bulbs:
Robert Dyas and Curry’s PC World stores should accept them for recycling. There is a Robert Dyas on Palmerston Road, Southsea and a Curry’s PC World at Ocean Retail Park, Copnor.
Bicycles
Community Cycle Hub will refurbish donated bikes or recycle them. They have three locations – two in Portsmouth and one in Gosport.
A friend of Shades of Green, Emma, alerted us that plastic plant pots can be recycled at B&Q. Let us know if you try!
Further afield in Havant, you can take all shapes, sizes and colours of plastic plant post and trays to Dobbies Garden Centre. Give them a quick wash first and ensure it is plastic and not polystyrene.
Compostable Garden Waste
Where: As mentioned in the Kitchen section, Sharewaste links those with organic waste and no compost with neighbours with home composters.
What: This depends on the Sharewaste neighbour but they might accept –
Dry leaves,
Wood ashes
Withered flowers
Wood shavings
Grass clippings
Where: The Garden Waste Club, a paid kerbside collection is available in Portsmouth through Biffa.
What:
Leaves, grass cuttings, hedge and tree cuttings etc
Any woody material under 10cm (4 inches) in diameter
No vegetable peelings, animal waste such as droppings etc or animal bedding
Holiday Inflatables
Where: Isle of Wight based Wyatt & Jack turn inflatables, destined for the bin, into cool bags. Post smaller items and they refund your postage. They can collect large items from you using a courier service. See here for address details.
What: punctured and beyond repair –
Punctured paddling pools,
Bouncy castles,
Inflatable unicorns etc.
Water wings/ armbands
Beach balls
Old windbreaks
Trampolines
Rubber dinghies
All sorts of other beach paraphernalia, inflatables and water toys
Air beds
Well, that was a major read. Congrats if you made it to the end. Let us know any questions you have in the comments below or via ">email.
We’re especially interested to hear from people who want to share other recycling locations, other products to be recycled, and if you’re a local business able to take any products (i.e. paint, wood, etc) for reuse.