Nothing sets the mood quite as well as candles but it is hard to find plastic free candles. Most come in a protective plastic wrap or bag. However we tracked down a few.
Which Candle?
Parrafin, soy or beeswax.
In the olden days candles were made from a by-product of beef-fat rendering(tallow) which stank and smoked or beeswax which didn’t smell or smoke but was very expensive.Then in the 1820s, French chemist Michel Eugene Chevreul discovered how to extract stearic acid from animal fatty acids. This could be used to make a wax that was harder and burnt far more cleanly.
However the most luxurious and brightest of all candles were made from crystallized spermaceti an oil obtained from the sperm whale. Like beeswax, spermaceti wax had a pleasing odour but also produced a far brighter light. Again it was a harder was so didn’t soften when the atmosphere got hot. Lucky for the sperm whale who was being hunted into extinction for his light shedding wax, rock oil and its many by-products burst onto the scene. One such by-product was paraffin which could be used to make super-hard, super-bright and, best of all, cheap candles.
Recently, a huge surge in the popularity of candles has led to new waxes being developed including soy bean wax.
Soy candles are made from a processed form of soybean oil called soy wax. It is very soft so most candles are made in tins or containers. However additives including beeswax, paraffin, or palm wax can be used to make it harder. Additives include: stearic acid, Vybar (a trademarked polymer), mineral oil, petrolatum, paraffin wax, ultraviolet absorbers, and bht crystals.
Most candles today are made from one of the following
paraffin (a product of petroleum refining);
stearin (now produced almost exclusively from palm waxes though initially manufactured from animal fats);
beeswax
Gel Candles produced from gelled mineral oils or synthetic hydrocarbons. They are made in containers.though some are rigid enough to keep their own shape.
some plant waxes (generally palm, carnauba, bayberry, or soybean wax);
The size of the flame rate at which the candle burns is determined mostly by the size of the candle wick.
You can find out more about candles here and here.
Candle Types
Taper, Dinner or household candles. The traditional round candles that have to be set in candlesticks or empty wine bottles. Used for dinner parties and power cuts.
Pillar Candles are the modern version. Big and chunky, they are solid and self standing in a variety of sizes.
Floating Candles are designed to float on water.
Tealights are low round candles in a metal container. Much loved by the Ikea crowd. They are used in food warmers or tealight holders
Container or Filled Candles are non-flammable, heat resistant containers which are filled with wax and wick. They come in heat-resistant glass jars, tins and less often, pottery.
Votive Candles are come heat-resistant containers often with religious imagery.
Specialty or Novelty Candles come in a wide array of shapes either molded or sculpted by hand.
Scented candles – can be used to create a pleasant ambience or mask other odours such as cooking or cigarette smoke. They can also be used to keep insects at bay though personally I don’t think they are very effective.
BUY
Basic white unscented candles
Parafin Candles
Prices do a practical range of plain white unscented candles both household & tealight. Last time I looked, so did Bolsius. I have bought both of the above packaged in cardboard from a number of local shops. If you can’t buy them locally you can of course get them on line.
I found some pillar candles on Amazon which look to be plastic free – please check
If you don’t fancy paraffin candles,these organic, vegetable wax candles look plastic free. they are available from Nigels Ecostore www.nigelsecostore.com and Amazon.
NB be aware they contain palm oil but sustainably sourced Scented Candles
Paraffin Based
Prices do a wide range scented tealights and candles in a tins and glass jars with fragrances to suit all moods and occasions. They also do some odour eaters great for eliminating or rather masking odours which work pretty well. These come as tealights, in tins or glass jars and include
HOUSEKEEPER~ Contains extracts of Beeswax, Mandarin & Lemon
CHEF’S CANDLE~ Contains extracts of Basil, Patchouli & Geranium
OPEN WINDOW~ Contains Lily, Violet & Orange Flower
I have bought all the above packaged in cardboard. Please be aware that tins ike this are almost always epoxy resin lined which is (yes you guessed), a plastic.
“The scents of these delightful hand poured soy candles have been captured perfectly in a tin. Aprox 40 hours burning time. All natural ingredients. Check out all the amazing scents!”
Please be aware that tins are almost always epoxy resin lined which is a plastic.
There are plenty more up on Etsy but they are eye wateringly pricey. You might be better off making your own. How hard can it be?
Only supplied in the re-usable cotton storage sack if purchased from Amazon or Aura
Container blend – NO soot or smoke.
Achieves a longer burn than paraffin Wax.
Easy to clean up any spills with soap and water.
Finest quality American SOY WAX flakes.
Aura’s Eco Soy Wax Flakes. A greener way to make quality candles…. These flakes are the finest quality Eco Soy flakes imported from the United States. Superior to paraffin Wax, candles made with Eco Soy will burn longer and be free of soot & smoke……. BASIC DIRECTIONS: Melt like chocolate. Gradually add your chosen fragrance. Add your colour a little at a time. Secure your wick into the desired container. Pour the melted Eco Soy into your container & leave to harden…..Once set – Enjoy your candle!!
Beeswax
Try these from Etsy, they are made in London and you should be able to discuss packaging with them.
Buy
One of the real joys of buying #plasticfree is sourcing the stuff in local shops. The excitement when you see milk in glass bottle in the newsagents is beyond words.
However sometime you have to buy on line. If so please see if there are links to sellers direct in the post above.
If you can’t do that then I have put together and Amazon catalogue. Yes I know.
Amazon is a very dirty word at the moment and I thought long and hard before suggesting them. Heres why I went ahead….. No we are not entirely happy with Amazons recent history. However, we have always found their service to be good and their packaging usually compostable.
If you buy a product via this link we do get an affiliation fee for this. This is not why we do it.
If all goes well on Valentines day you may well be planning some intimate moments. Time to check out condoms.
Condoms come in the following materials….
Latex: made of latex rubber from rubber trees a natural and therefore biodegradable. Which has led to claims that that latex condoms are biodegradable. Which is hotly debated! Latex condoms contain addatives to make them (amongst other things) stronger. Many people say that even if they do eventually decompose, (not proven), it takes such a long time as to make any claims of biodegradability misleading. Certainly the anti-balloon camp do not consider latex balloons to be biodegradable despite what the balloon industry say. So, for the time being, lets leave latex on the shelf for further study.
Synthetic materials: polyisoprene, polyurethane and silicone. All of these are non- biodegradable materials.
Lambskin: sheeps intestines – no good for you vegans out there but definitely biodegradable.
Lets find out more
Here is some blurb from the British Condom shop about Trojan NaturaLambs, the make of lambskin condoms they sell
“These condoms are made from a natural membrane and while that may sound strange at first, they are one of the most comfortable, intimate, and largest condoms on the market. Most notable is their ability to transfer heat.
NaturaLamb condoms also have the exclusive Kling-Tite draw string at the base for added safety.
NOTE: These condoms do NOT protect against STDs, only unwanted pregnancy!”
Some more….
I am sure the packaging will contain plastic elements but then so will all the others. This appears to be the best option for condoms you can compost. The next question is would you want to?
Lube
Lambskin condoms can be used with both water-based and oil-based lubricants. However most commercially produced lubricants come in plastic bottles and many contain paragons, a preservative that causes some people concern. If you want something completely natural, go for for coconut oil. If you like this blog you know we love coconut oil – but don’t take our word for it, read this is a great write up about coconut oil in the bedroom.
NB If you find the smell overwhelming you might like to buy an odourless coconut oil. In Yorkshire? – you can buy coconut oil here
Being committed to local shopping, I prefer to buy that way whenever possible. I would encourage you to do the same. One of the joys of living plastic free is mooching round the local shops seeing what you can source. But sometimes you can’t buy local so I have put together an Amazon catalogue.
Yes we do get an affiliation fee for this, and no we are not entirely happy with Amazons recent history. However, we have always found their service to be good and their packaging usually compostable.
Which wrap should you choose? Well we prefer reusables over all else so here are some wraps you can use over and over again…
Reusable Wraps
Wrap your presents in cloth and tie with string
Or just use cloth and the ancient Japanese method of knotting. Called furoshiki. YOu can find more info here .
Try this reusable crackle paper made from recycled tents.
Make or buy a fabric gift bag
Try this stretch wrap from Wragwrap
fabric bottle bag from Wragwrap
Disposable Paper
As much as we love reusable gift wrap and bags, you have to know someone pretty well before you can snatch back the wrapping once the gift is opened. Gifting for the first time? Maybe consider a disposable paper wrapping.
Shop local – You can still buy gift wrap in single, unpackaged sheets from card and book shops. Or check out brown paper packages, other cheap wraps and plantable paper.Read more and find purchase details here
Of course one way to get the most out of your wrapping paper is to reuse it. In which case you done want it torn off. Walk away from the sticky tape and tie your brown paper packages up with string.
A bit more effort than sticky tape but there are advantages
less chances are the paper will be less damaged when the gift is unwrapped.
looks very retro chic
tie it with a bow and the ties themselves be reused.
Lets start with string. From traditional brown hairy string to U.K. woollen twine, there are some great options.
Greetings cards Cards have been the bane of Pam’s life , (I mean greeting cards not gambling – that’s all in the past) as many come wrapped in icky plastic. So what are the alternatives?
I don’t care if the lady loves milk tray, she’s not getting a box of chocks from me. Not with that plastic wrapping, plastic cover sheet and plastic sweet tray.
Before you call me hard hearted there is a plastic free alternative.
Chocolates
There are shops out there selling British and Belgium chocolates loose.
You can buy a separate, cardboard box to put them in or you could make your own packaging.
Chocolate Bars
And there is always chocolate wrapped in foil and cardboard. Tescos do some wrapped in cardboard and foil.
Original Beans who sell their chocolate in certified compostable packaging.
Expensive but plasticfree and delivered to your door
Comes in Plastic Free Packaging, beautifully designed by us in London
By buying this product, you will help to plant a tree in Kenya. Find out more about our tree planting here. 🌱
Waitrose
Not so expensive and also plastic free, Waitrose do a great range of home brand chocolate bars. Packed in cardboard and foil.
More
Homemade
If handing some one a big slab of chocolate seems a bit blunt, you could tart it up by turning it into something else. Check out the marbled minty things made by Jen.
Or these wonderful truffles. Find them here.
They also make a great Mother’s Day gift.
Sweets
If the loose chocolates are too expensive you can buy other kinds of sweets from jars – for mothers day my mum got two ounces of liquorice torpedo’s in a paper bag from Queensgate Market. Huddersfield.
Tescos and Ikea have a pick and mix stand where you can get chocolate beans ( smarties), and other sweets unwrapped and loose.
Lines changes, products get removed. For more information why not ask the Plastic Is Rubbish FB group for updates. They are a great source of tidbits, personal experience and the latest news. Why not join them and share the plastic free love x
And before you go…
If you have found the #plasticfree information useful, please consider supporting us. It all goes to financing the project (read more here) or
You don’t even want to know how many plastic wrapped roses we are going to get through on this one Valentine’s day.Oh you do? According to the Flowers & Plants Association, “sales of all fresh flowers double on Valentine’s day, with over 9 million red roses being given in the UK. Worldwide, billions of roses – mostly red – are traded on this one day alone.”
This is closely followed by Mothers Day which the Flowers & Plants Association goes on to say, is the biggest event in the UK’s cut flower year with a sales increase of up to 40% on a normal day’s trading.
Not to mention weddings…
Lets think about the amount all those flowers will create. All that plastic wrapping for a start. Now some people may tell you that flowers come cellophane wrapped and that cellophane is a plant based plastic and so biodegradable. Cellophane was indeed a plant based plastic. However as most piano keys are no longer made of ivory, most cellophane is now longer plant derived. The term cellophane has come to describe the petroleum based plastic product that looks and feels just like it. Many flowers come ready wrapped in plastic many florists use it.
And there’s more. Many flowers in the shops have been imported and come with hundreds of air miles attached. Nearly 80% of the cut flowers we buy in the UK are imported from The Netherlands, Colombia and Kenya.
In his comprehensive book, How Bad are Bananas?, Mike Berners-Lee calculates the amount of greenhouse gases (CO2e) released in the growing and transportation of a single red rose. It works out at
350g CO2e for a rose grown in Kenya and flown by air to the UK
2.1kg CO2e for one grown in a heated greenhouse in The Netherlands
There is an argument that the trade helps support Kenyan trade.There is another argument that says the Kenyans should be growing food to feed themselves rather than flowers to ship out in return for a barely living wage to buy expensive food….
There is no doubt that floral decorations are very lovely so here are some ways to lesson the impact….
Local Florists
Walk away from the garage forecourt, go to a florist, buy unwrapped and insist it is wrapped in paper. Best take your own paper just to be sure.
Try to stick with seasonal, U.K. grown flowers if possible. Here is a list of seasonal flowers.
All I could get was an Amaryllis that was neither seasonal or locally grown but was at least #plasticfree.
By Post
Not used this company but plan to do so. The flowers are lovely – see here. And so is the delivery! Answer to a request for info… let me know how you get on plastic free lovers.there is no plastic in our packaging. The flowers are wrapped in craft paper and we use Rafia to tie them. Regards, Carolyn
Cards have been the bane of my life , (I mean greeting cards not gambling – that’s all in the past), as many come wrapped in icky plastic. So what are the alternatives?
E-cards
I love my friends but I love the planet – what to do. I know you can send e cards but that’s just mean. No cards = no mates in my shallow social circles….
Unwrapped Cards
Look harder….there are unwrapped cards available. The post office in Marsh, Huddersfield sells them loose, and our Tescos had a lot of unwrapped cards… which surprised me. So, I heard, does Hallmark.
On Line – Amnesty
2018 Got my Christmas cards from Amnesty International. (www.amnesty.org) Lovely cards on sustainable cardboard and advertised as plastic free. By which they mean they have used a compostable plastic. They arrived in a crinkly plastic bag which looks like cellophane to me. There was no identifying label which was rather a shame.
They have others that aren’t so Yuletide.
Responsibly Made Cards
but if you can’t find what you want, try Etsy – art cards in compostable PLA cornstarch bags.
Check these out Bradford based company – Great Valentines day cards and plastic free good loving.
Read the blurb….
100% RECYCLED WITH BIO-DEGRADABLE CLEAR BAG Printed on 100% recycled smooth white board. Each card comes with 100% recycled C6 brown craft paper envelope inside a clear bio-degradable bag. The bag is made from corn starch which is fully bio-degradable and compostable, breaking down to just CO2 and H2O – as green as you can get! Dig The Earth!
Many people say that bioplastics cannot be composted at home. They are wrong. I have composted cellophane in my own compost bin.You can read more about cellophane and composting compostable plastics over at the blog.#ukplasticfreeproducts
Plant derived and compostable, one of the first plastics made. Sounds great but comes with its own environmental impact. What is cellophane? Read more here.
Here are the PLA cornstarch and cellulose compostable plastic products I have composted in my back yard bin. They said it couldn’t be done Mwahahahaha! Read more here.
N.B.
lines changes, products get removed. For more information why not ask the Plastic Is Rubbish FB group for updates. They are a great source of tidbits, personal experience and the latest news. Why not join them and share the plastic free love x
And before you go…
If you have found the #plasticfree information useful, please consider supporting us. It all goes to financing the project (read more here) or
Prices do a practical range of plain white unscented candles both household & tealight. Last time I looked, so did Bolsius. I have bought both of the above packaged in cardboard from a number of local shops. If you can’t buy them locally you can of course get them on line.
Prices do a wide range scented tealights and candles in a tins and glass jars with fragrances to suit all moods and occasions. They also do some odour eaters great for eliminating or rather masking odours which work pretty well. These come as tealights, in tins or glass jars and include
Crisps
Its now possible to buy crisps in home compostable packaging! Find them here!
Other Snacks
And fruit jerky also in home compostable packaging.
