13 ways to use less plastic AND save cash

Since England became the last country in the UK to adopt the 5p charge for single-use carrier bags in 2015, it's a MoneySaving no-brainer to reuse old plastic bags or take your own bags with you to the shops.

But unlikely as it may sound, Morrisons and Ocado will actually pay you to take used plastic bags off your hands when you shop online.

Both pay you 5p for each bag you hand to the driver when your order is delivered:

• In the case of Morrisons, the total value of the bags is deducted from the cost of your current order, but you can only return Morrisons bags, and bags from your current order can't be returned until the next one.
  
  
• Ocado also deducts the total value from the cost of your current order, but the major difference is it will accept bags from any supermarket (up to a maximum of 99 per order).

Returned bags are recycled into new ones – plastic waste reduced and money saved in one fell swoop.

5. Get a REAL bag for life

One consequence of the new plastic bag charge has been that many major supermarkets have introduced sturdier carrier bags meant for repeated use that usually cost about 10p.

Reusable shopping bags – often known as 'bags for life' – have been around for a while, of course. But nowadays some supermarkets have taken it a step further and are selling real 'bags for life' – ie, bags which they'll replace for free if damaged or broken. Supermarkets which do this include:

• Co-op (10p, 15p in Northern Ireland)
  
• Sainsbury's (5p or 10p depending on size)
  
• Tesco (10p)

To get a broken or damaged bag replaced, simply take it to your nearest relevant store.

Pret a Manger last year doubled the discount it offers on takeaway drinks served to customers who bring along their own reusable cup from 25p to 50p. Café chains Paul and Leon offer 50p and 45p off respectively, Starbucks 30p, Costa and M&S cafés 25p, while Greggs offers 20p off and Caffè Nero double loyalty stamps. Many other coffee shops and cafés also offer discounts.

This is an obvious win in terms of plastic waste saved (from lids and the cups themselves, which fuse card with plastic). And you can get your own reusable cup (these need to have a lid, be clean and be able to fit into a coffee maker) from as little as £1, meaning it would only take two Pret drinks or Starbucks, Costa or M&S café drinks for you to make your money back – every use after that represents money saved.

For full info, see our Pay £1, get up to 50p off most Costa, Pret & Starbucks drinks EVERY time blog.

7. Replace cling film with reusable wraps

Beeswax and soy wax wraps – reusable, biodegradable alternatives to cling film – are now widely available. Made from cotton, wax and resin, these wraps can be moulded around containers and food itself to keep it fresh, then washed, dried and reused. They last for up to a year and, once they're spent, some can be composted.

Wraps cost from around £4 each or £10 per pack of three, so they're not cheap. Yet depending on how much cling film you get through, they could help you save. With cling film typically costing £2-£4 a roll, depending on brand a small pack could quickly pay for itself when you consider you'll get a year's use from each wrap (and some beeswax wraps can be used for longer if you get a refresher block).

Alternatively, you could try using Tupperware instead. Plastic, resealable takeaway containers are ideal for storing leftover food, and are largely dishwasher safe, so they're OK to reuse.

8. Go large in the supermarket to save on packaging and price

Economies of scale rarely lie – generally, the more you buy of something, the less it will cost you per unit.

So, if you can afford to buy and have the space to store larger packs of staples like washing powder, toilet roll, washing-up liquid, kitchen roll, batteries, plasters and canned foods, doing so will almost always save you money. (Always check the unit price on the supermarket price label though, and compare with other sizes.)

Buying bigger packs more often than not will mean you wind up throwing less plastic packaging in the bin.

While refusing a straw when ordering a drink in a café, restaurant, bar or pub won't save you money, it'll instantly reduce the amount of plastic waste you produce without affecting the quality of what you're buying or costing you anything extra. Many places also now offer biodegradable alternatives if you ask.

If you use plastic drinking straws at home, or your kids do, consider simply ditching them entirely. If you do use them, look for a biodegradable or reusable alternative, though they're likely to be pricier – a pack of 10 reusable straws costs £1.79 incl delivery, or 18p each, from Amazon*, while disposable plastic straws often costs less than 1p each.

For full info on ditching straws, see MSE Sarah's blog on the cheapest alternatives.