Working for a waste free world

 

There is a beautiful saying; "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are".

At Frankie Apothecary we are passionate about reducing waste in the ways that we can. 

Waste free natural products

We have created completely waste free shampoo and conditioner bars, and waste free soap bars.

We package our Frankie Apothecary Kawakawa Balm and our decongestant Breathe Balm in glass jars (which still need plastic lids), and our all natural Kawakawa Body Oil is packaged in a glass bottle (but we need to retain the plastic pump). 

We use plastic free plant-based courier bags for all Frankie Apothecary deliveries - or cardboard boxes for bigger orders!

Our bath soaks are packaged in paper/plastic bags - they can be recycled with soft plastics, and they need to be strong to withstand the rigors of regional courier journeys, but we are looking into alternatives!

The personal

 As a whanau we try to reduce plastic consumption by buying bulk foods where possible, and taking our own reuse-able shopping bags. We use beeswax wraps for food and take our own water bottles and coffee keep cups when we go out. 

We have used Little & Brave nappies, and use waste free shampoo, conditioner and soap - of course!

Did you know that keeping your zero-waste Frankie bars out of moisture will help them last longer? We love this simple way of creating a pretty soap dish that will hold your bars out of the water.

Ditch the plastic and go waste free in Aotearoa

There are lots of nasty plastic contaminants hidden in plain sight - as well as buying less plastic and avoiding plastic heavy packaging, there are some more subtle ways to reduce your plastic pollution!

 

Choose natural fibres for clothes

Tiny plastic particles fall off polar fleece, nylon and acrylic clothing each time the item is washed and enter our waterways. Canadian scientists report that plastic clothing fibres account for 74% of microplastic particles found in Canadian coastal areas.

 

Choose loose leaf tea

Invest in a cute strainer like Nana had; and stop buying bags. Most teabags are either all plastic (those cute triangle bags) or have plastic particles in (standard gumboot tea bags are 30% heat-resistant polypropylene). 

 

Muslin wipes are wonderful

Most brands of wet wipes and nappy wipes have plastic in them. That's also why they are not really 'disposable' and shouldn't be flushed. 

 

Skip chewing gum & bubble gum

Give your kids something else to munch on - as well as being chemical-based, chewing gum contains polyvinyl acetate and will not biodegrade.

 

Create your own sparkle

Wondered 'why the fuss about glitter'? Environmental anthropologist at Massey University, Trisia Farrelly, explains: “All glitter should be banned because it’s microplastic and all microplastics leak into the environment.” 

 

Thank you for all you do to help reduce plastic waste in New Zealand!