Avoiding packaging, bulk shops, composting, sorting rules and where to take what.
Kitchen scraps make up a large share of the household bin, and a compost bin takes most of them; bulk shops cut much of the packaging. This category also explains local sorting rules and where to take batteries or old paint.
“Que faire de mes objets et déchets ?” is a free website of ADEME, the French agency for ecological transition: typing the name of an object or a type of waste shows how to repair, give away, resell…
Alternative to throwing everything in the bin because you don’t know who repairs, takes back or recycles it
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Refill Deutschland is a non-profit initiative that shows where anyone can refill a water bottle with tap water for free: shops, cafés, offices and public buildings put a blue Refill sticker on the…
Alternative to buying bottled water in plastic bottles
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Zero Waste France is an independent French association that works to reduce waste at the source: it publishes practical guides for households, schools and towns, investigates the packaging and waste…
Alternative to the advice of the packaging industry, which says recycling is enough
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foodsharing.de is a free, ad-free platform run by volunteers in Germany who collect surplus food from shops, bakeries and restaurants and share it, without money, with anyone who wants it, after…
Alternative to shops, bakeries and restaurants throwing away edible food
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Lamazuna is a French brand of zero-waste bathroom products: solid shampoos, conditioners, deodorants and toothpastes, washable make-up remover wipes, rechargeable toothbrushes and menstrual cups. It…
Alternative to cosmetics in plastic bottles, disposable cotton pads and single-use razors
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Ressourceries and recycleries are local second-hand shops, most often run by associations, that collect objects people no longer want, check, clean and repair them, then sell them at low prices or…
Alternative to throwing away objects that still work, and buying everything new
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Sonett is a German maker of ecological washing and cleaning products, founded in 1977 near Lake Constance: laundry detergents, washing-up liquid, cleaners and soaps based on plant soaps, sugar…
Alternative to conventional detergents and cleaners from large chemical groups, with petroleum-based ingredients and single-use bottles
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The Unverpackt Verband (Unverpackt e.V.) is the association of German zero-packaging shops, where customers fill their own jars, bags and bottles with dry goods, oils, cleaning products and cosmetics…
Alternative to supermarket groceries wrapped in plastic
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Zu gut für die Tonne! (“Too good for the bin”) is the German federal government’s campaign against food waste, with a free app of about 800 leftover recipes, storage tips for each food and a…
Alternative to throwing away leftovers and food past its best-before date
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Les Frigos Solidaires is a French association that sets up self-service fridges outside shops, associations, universities, schools and companies, where anyone can leave food or take some, free and…
Alternative to throwing away food that is still good
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RECUP is a deposit system for reusable cups, bowls and pizza boxes in Germany: customers pay €1 for a cup, €5 for a bowl or €7 for a pizza box at a café or restaurant, and get the deposit back when…
Alternative to single-use coffee cups and takeaway boxes
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Frosch is a range of household cleaners, washing-up liquids and laundry products from Werner & Mertz, a family company in Mainz, whose bottles are made from plastic collected in household recycling…
Alternative to cleaning products from Procter & Gamble, Henkel and Reckitt
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The Initiative Pro Recyclingpapier is a German alliance of companies that promotes office and printing paper with the Blauer Engel, made from 100 % waste paper, and runs the Papieratlas, a yearly…
Alternative to virgin-fibre office paper
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Love Food Hate Waste is the UK campaign against household food waste run by the charity WRAP, with a portion planner, an A–Z of how to store each food and a fridge temperature tool, free on its…
Alternative to throwing away food that could have been eaten
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Olio is a free British app for giving away food and household items to neighbours, and for collecting surplus food from shops such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s through volunteer “Food Waste Heroes”, who…
Alternative to throwing away leftover food and unwanted household items
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Refill is a free British app and scheme that shows on a map where to fill a water bottle for free: public fountains, cafés, shops and offices that display a Refill sticker in the window.
Alternative to buying bottled water and drinks in single-use cups when out
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Jean Bouteille is a French system of reusable deposit glass bottles for liquids sold loose in shops, such as oil, vinegar, wine, beer and detergents: customers fill the bottle from a dispenser and…
Alternative to single-use bottles of oil, vinegar, wine and detergent
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Geev is an app and website for giving things away between neighbours: furniture, clothes, toys, appliances and food that would otherwise be thrown away. Givers post an ad with a photo, and the…
Alternative to throwing away furniture, clothes and toys, or buying them new
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Too Good To Go is a free app that sells the day’s unsold food from bakeries, supermarkets, restaurants and caterers as “surprise bags”, at about a third of their stated value. Customers book and pay…
Alternative to bakeries and shops throwing away the day’s unsold food
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Donnons.org is a website and app for giving objects away between private people in France: you post an ad for something you no longer want, or pick up for free what someone nearby is giving. Its…
Alternative to taking usable things to the tip
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Less waste, better sorted
Repair and do it yourself
Second-hand, swapping, lending and sharing
Water and sanitation
Restaurants and food delivery
Neighbourhood, community spaces and local networks
Cosmetics and hygiene
Household and personal care
Shopping: online, marketplaces and local shops
Nutrition advice and recipes
Food and community farming
Office, paper and printing
