Hidden plastic in everyday life

In the past, the use of plastic was restricted to food storage boxes or rubbish bags. Today, however, plastic can be found almost everywhere in our households. Even in products where one would not imagine at first glance that they have anything to do with plastic. In the following, you will find a list of products which can contain plastic. It is always worth looking at the packaging before your purchase to improve your own personal plastic record. Guess what: there is hardly any product in our households, which is not packed in plastic. Therefore, searching for goods, which offer eco-friendly packaging alternatives, might be a good first step to reduce your plastic footprint. Apps like „CodeCheck“ for example simplify the identification of  „hidden plastic“ in our everyday lives. If you scan in the barcode, you can see all the ingredients contained in the product and you can also see which of these are critical“.

Cosmetics

Plastics can be found in lots of cosmetic products, where it is for instance used as a scouring agent (in tooth paste or shower gel). Examples of all the places where plastic can be hidden in products:

• Tooth paste: microplastics used as a scouring agent in the actual tooth paste
• Lipsticks, eye shadow and powders: plastic parts as a cost-favorable binding agent
• Mascara: almost every mascara contains microplastic parts
• Nail varnish: plastic makes the nail varnish more viscous and resistant
• Peelings: the plastic assumes the abrasive function on the skin
• Wet wipes: conventional wet wipes have a share of plastic (mostly polyester), to guarantee the tear resistance. Wet wipes of VEOCEL™ fibers are sustainable alternatives
• Sun cream: liquid polymers ensure gloss and suppleness
• Shower gels  & shampoos: microplastic as a scouring agent

Groceries

It is not just in packaging, there is a lot of plastic in foods as well, either for the suppleness of the texture or for a longer durability. An overview:

• Beer: so much for the „purity regulation“ –to make sure that the beer remains clear for as long as possible, many breweries use plastic polyvinylpolypyrrolidone
• Cans: their insides contain a hidden layer of plastic to protect the metal. The same is true of metal closures on glass bottles
• Coffee filters: many coffee filters are equipped with plastic to make them more tear resistant
• TetraPak: the popular drinks packaging contains its own thin layer of plastic. So this goes into the "yellow bag" and should not be placed with the waste paper.
• Chewing gum: the chewing mass of normal chewing gum is made of synthetic polymers
• Deep freeze packaging: this also contain a thin layer of plastic

Household goods

You can find plastic in many common household products even where you would least expect it:

• Coloring pens and pencils: a thin layer of plastic in the lead ensures the break resistance
• Detergents: many of these contain water-soluble synthetic polymers and microplastic
• Cleaning agents: liquid plastics make sure that persistent dirt is removed when cleaning as a result of friction
• Baking paper: plastic is the reason why the „baking paper“ does not remain sticking to the tray.
• Cigarette filters: smoking is not just harmful for the lungs, the cigarette filters are full of plastic which will remain in the environment for years.
• Sanitary towels: the front and back sides are made largely of plastic.
• Cushions: in many cases cheap polyurethane has replaced down.