Plastic falling out of favour

New Zealanders are eager to find more ways to reduce their plastic use, and are crying out for alternatives to plastic, according to a survey commissioned by New Zealand company Ethique, which claims to be the world’s first zero-waste beauty brand.

The survey, of more than 1000 people, found that 95 per cent had changed their shopping habits over the past two years to reduce the amount of plastic they used.

While some changes could be attributed to the pending single-use plastic bag ban, many consumers wanted to know what more they could do, 75 per cent of respondents saying they would like to see more options for plastic-free household, beauty and food products.

Ethique’s tips for reducing plastic waste include:

■ Line bins with newspaper, or go without liners, and wash bins when they are emptied.

■ Buy in bulk and decant into your own containers, especially for dry goods and non-perishables.

■ It might not always be possible, but when you’ve got the time (and energy) there are many more benefits to making your own food than just knowing what goes into it. With processed food comes packaging — a home-made version cuts out the added ingredients and the added packaging too.

■ Repurpose. Bread bags make perfect lunch bags or can be used for picking up after the dog. Start a collection of jars for a plastic-free dry goods section in your pantry. Old pillow cases also make great produce bags.

■ Take your own containers to takeaway food outlets or the supermarket. Some supermarkets let customers use their own containers for deli items that would otherwise go into something plastic.