Six easy eco-friendly swaps you can make to be kinder to the planet and your pocket

Reusable coffee cups

A sure way to reduce your single-use footprint is by investing in a reusable coffee cup. There’s so many good ones on the market now and you can personalise to your own style . Plus, you’ll save a fortune making your coffee at home. But if you can’t give up your barista-made brew, most coffee shops will give you discount if you bring your own cup.

I love this Circular and Co Leakproof Reusable Coffee Cup (£8.95, Amazon) - which has extra eco-credentials as it’s made from recycled paper cups. This is the 8oz version which is perfect to pop in your handbag - it’s leakproof and dishwasher safe - which is always a plus in my book. And I love the look of this 12oz Himalayan Pink iglu Reusable Coffee Cup (£18.50) if you prefer a larger cup.

Shampoo and soap bars

This Eco Warrior Dry Hair Shampoo Bar (£5.50, Ocado) is a favourite of mine. It gives a great clean and it helps you avoid throwing away endless shampoo bottles. It contains argan and coconut oil for moisturising, and marshmallow extract for healthy glossy hair. I’ve found it to be a seamless swap from bottled products and you’ll get more washes out of a bar - a little goes a long way.

I also love their Eco Warrior Baby & Child Gently Cleansing Hair & Body Soap Bar (£5, Ocado) for my little ones - who both have eczema breakouts but we’ve found this soap bar to give a good clean without irritating their skin. It smells gorgeous too - with an allergen-free orange blossom fragrance.

Digital magazines

I recently wrote about why a digital magazine subscription is good for the planet as well as your pocket - and Readly is currently offering a two-month free trial to its app, with 10% off for the rest of the year.

You’ll find 7,500 magazines and newspapers inside, from National Geographic and BBC Good Food to Vogue and Gardeners World.

And Readly says by choosing digital over print, you're not just accessing unlimited content anywhere; you're also making a significant contribution to reducing paper waste, cutting down on carbon emissions, and preserving the planet's resources.

In 2023 alone, approximately 18,200 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions were potentially avoided thanks to the digital consumption of 160 million magazine issues, Readly said.

You can sign up to the free trial here.

Beeswax wraps

Ditch the cling film and switch to beeswax. These are great for wrapping veg in the fridge, packing your sandwiches or covering your leftovers. There’s plenty of options out there, and this set of seven Beeswax Wraps by Two White Bears (£11.99, Amazon) are a favourite of mine - they’ve got pretty patterns plus they plant a tree for every set sold.

Cleaning products

I’m a big fan of smol’s multi purpose spray - and what’s even better is you can claim a free trial.

The eco-friendly cleaning brand will send you the trigger spray bottle and one tablet for free - just cover the £2 postage. When it arrives, you pop the tablet in the bottle and mix with water to create an anti-bac solution.

You can then sign up to a rolling subscription for new six refill tablets which costs £6.60 with free delivery - and you can set it to as little or as often as you need it. You’ll be saving a fortune on single-use anti bac bottles, plus you won’t be filling the recycling bin with a load of discarded plastic. Win-win. Sign up for your free trial here - and check out the other items you can try for free.

Make up pads

You can say goodbye to single-use cotton wool and hello to these washable bamboo pads. These ASPACES Reusable Makeup Remover Pads (£7.36, Amazon) are a great guilt-free addition to your skincare routine, as you can wash away the day without producing loads of waste.

You get 20 cleansing pads with a laundry bag so you can pop them in the wash and use them again and again.

These pads replace around 10,000 disposable cotton balls, the retailer says, plus you’ll save in the long run on years worth of cotton wool. It’s a no brainer.