We are bombarded daily with consumerism 'must-haves' but as you start your zero waste journey the most sustainable options are the must-haven'ts.

1. Everything Zero Waste

Don’t run out and replace everything in your house with zero waste alternatives. Not only will this cost you a tonne of money but throwing away perfectly good plastic products and partially used toiletries is wasteful and totally not the point.

Finish that bottle of shampoo and use up your pack of sponges, replacing items with zero waste alternatives as you go along. If you really can’t face using even one more coffee pod give them to a friend rather than tossing in the trash.

2. Bamboo Coffee Cup

You might think you’re doing your bit for the environment by using a bamboo cup, and you’d  be forgiven for thinking your buying a natural product. Producers gloss over the fact that the cups are made from a bamboo fibres stuck together with melamine resin, a kind of plastic like glue made from formaldehyde and melamine. This not only throws into question their biodegradable status but also brings doubt on their safety as tests have shows the formaldehyde can leach into your coffee. Bypass the green wash and invest in a reusable glass coffee cup.

3. Mason Jars

Beautiful examples of insta worthy kitchens wouldn’t be complete without mason jars full of lentils, but don’t rush out to buy new glass jars. Pickle jars, jam jars, pasta sauce jars, pesto jars, peanut butter jars...giving them a second life once they're done is better for the environment. Simply rinse them out and remove the label.

4. Storage Containers

It may be temping to look around your kitchen and want to purge yourself of all the plastic but binning all your tupperware, takeaway containers, and plastic pots is counter productive. As all that plastic already exists and is in your home, then the most eco friendly thing to do is to use it till until it's worn out or broken, and only then replace it with a beautiful tiffin box.