20 Zero Waste School Supplies for Back to School

I thought it was about time that I recommended some zero waste school supplies for going back to school or college. Whether you have a child at school or if you’re a student yourself, these suggestions should help you find some more eco friendly school supplies.

I don’t know about you but I love stationery, it was always so exciting to get new stationery for going back to school. Even now as an adult I do find it just as exciting when I run out of something and get to buy a more eco friendly version.

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Why Are Ordinary School Supplies Not Sustainable

The reason why most school supplies are not sustainable is because of the resources it takes to make them. Majority of school supplies are made from plastic and even pens etc can actually have quite toxic ingredients in the ink.

Often these type of school supplies are so cheap to make and you can find them in so many different stores in the UK. Usually supermarkets, book stores and Pound shops all sell these really cheap school supplies.

Not to mention the really wasteful attitude that people have towards stationery. My Mum works in a school and she regularly saves all sorts from being thrown away at the end of term. From unwanted Teacher’s gifts to perfectly good stationery.

When majority of the stationery people buy doesn’t cost very much money, I suppose people are then just very casual about buying new and replacing it – even when it’s not at all necessary.

If you’re looking for ways to be an eco parent, I have a wonderful guest post from Lacie with 5 Eco-Parenting Tips That Actually Help.

Zero Waste School Supplies

First of all I wanted to state you don’t have to buy any school supplies brand new, especially if you can’t afford to. If you have a really tight budget and need to buy some zero waste school supplies for school or college, consider seeing what you can buy secondhand first of all. You can always get a few things new if you have no other choice.

I appreciate that the below sustainable options will not be within everyone’s budget. If that’s the case secondhand unwanted stationery is arguably a better option environmentally anyway.

If you can’t find what you need secondhand and have no choice but to buy new unsustainable school supplies. Just take care of them and make them last and definitely don’t feel bad about it.

Using what you have is always the best choice environmentally too, I haven’t even needed to replace my ballpoint pens with eco friendly versions yet and that’s ok. For some reason I gained a whole batch of pens when one of my friends was having a clear out and they’ve lasted me years.

Recycled Paper

If you’re looking for just plain paper for general use then buying some recycled seeded paper might be a good idea. This paper is available in A4 A5 and A6 in various quantity bundles. The added bonus with seeded paper is that you can plant it afterwards which is such a great idea.

Notebooks

There are a lot of different types of recycled paper notebooks on Etsy but if you’re looking for a set, the below link is for a pack of 5 paperback A4 priced currently at £8.99 which I thought was a fairly decent price for large recycled notebooks.

Eco Friendly Pens

So finding an eco friendly pen will depend completely on your personal preference. I personally prefer ballpoint pens because I’m clumsy and always smudge fountain pens. Luckily there’s a few options depending on what you like to use to write.

What Are The Most Environmentally Friendly Pens

The most environmentally friendly pen is the fountain pen, this is because if you take good care of it then you should only need to buy one and keep it forever. If you also buy the glass pots of ink as well then you won’t need the little plastic cartridges (although they certainly are an option if you prefer them).

Fountain Pens

The below link is for such a beautiful bamboo fountain pen, the great thing about fountain pens is that you only need to buy it the once and you then just buy a pot of ink for writing. It’s so traditional but a beautiful way of writing.

Ballpoint Pens

I really like ballpoint pens and the ones that I have my eye on are the below link to Ecoscribe paper pens, it’s a pack of 10 for £7.99 black paper pens, which is a really great price. They’re made from recycled paper and they’re compostable as well.

Recycled Bottle Pens

These are a great idea for a pen if you prefer to still use a plastic ballpoint pen but you would like it to be more sustainable. These yellow pens in the link below are made from recycled plastic bottles, such a cool idea.

Wheatstraw Pens

If you or your child, prefer how solid a plastic pen is but you would prefer not to buy a plastic pen then a wheatstraw pen would be a great option. This is made from wheatstraw and not plastic but it has the look and feel of plastic. A great alternative and perfect for school or college.

Eco Friendly Pencils

Plantable Pencils

These pencils are so cool, they are ordinary graphite pencils but with spinach or carrot seeds making them plantable once you’re done with the pencil. These pencils are also made from compressed recycled paper which is really awesome.

Recycled Newspaper Pencils

These HB newspaper pencils are such a lovely idea, made from recycled newspapers and cardboard. They come in various bundles but a pack of 10 is priced at £6.29 currently, which I thought was quite a good price.

Recycled Newspaper Coloured Pencils

From the same seller as above on Etsy UK called LyfstyleUK, you can buy a pack of 10 of coloured newspaper recycled pencils for the same price. So cute and perfect for picking up some zero waste school supplies yourself.

Pencil Highlighters

I can personally vouch for pencil highlighters as being a great alternative to the ordinary pen highlighters. You can buy these using the below link as well, currently priced at £4.99 for a pack of 4. They come in pink, orange, yellow and green.

Wooden Ruler

A wooden ruler is a fab alternative to the usual plastic rulers. You can buy all sorts from this particular seller on Etsy UK but they also sell bamboo rulers for only £2.65 which is an amazing price! If you’re not in the UK definitely have a search and see if you can find similar.

Metal Ruler

You can also buy a stainless steel 30cm ruler for only £2.99 if you would prefer to buy a metal ruler. They do also have 20cm or 15cm sizes as well.

Metal Protractor Ruler Set

This is a great addition to any pencil case because it’s a ruler and protractor together, finding a plastic free protractor is definitely a bit more difficult to find. This is one is currently priced at £4.99.

Recycled Erasers

Finding some recycled rubber eco friendly erasers might be a bit trickier, I found a UK website called The Green Stationery Company which sells Onyx Green eco erasers. Ordinary erasers are usually made from plastic (vinyl) and not even rubber so that makes these a great alternative.

You can buy through the below link for £2.34 for a pack of 3.

Potato Starch Glue

An alternative to ordinary glue is this potato starch glue from Coccoina, it comes in a little aluminium tin with a brush for £4.99. This might not be necessary for back to school supplies but I wanted to include it in this list because it’s a great eco friendly glue alternative.

Pencil Cases

Admittedly a pencil case might be something you can easily find secondhand, my Mum often picks up pencil cases for my children if she sees them in thrift stores etc. However you can buy a new Hemp pencil case for £8.99 in yellow, green, natural or blue. Hemp is very durable and a really sustainable material as well.

Lunch Boxes

Of course there’s a lot of different options you can go for with lunch boxes, there’s glass, bamboo and stainless steel lunch boxes to choose from. They have large or small, with compartments and 2 or 3 tier if you have a preference for the stackable lunch boxes. The below link will take you to the website so you can have a look through the different options available. They are quite expensive but a worthwhile investment if you get the right one.

Snack Bags

For snacks you can use the little stainless steel snack boxes or even stasher silicone bags are great for storing snacks. However, I’m also a big fan of the sandwich/food wraps for storing snacks in as you can put those in the washing machine. The below link has wraps in various designs depending on your preference for only £7.99. These are secured with velcro so make sure it’s secured before going through the wash, to protect the velcro.

Backpacks

Personally I always look for secondhand backpacks for my children because I won’t lie to you, the new eco friendly ones are quite expensive!

The below link is for an organic hemp and cotton backpack which looks really strong and durable. I have a very similar across the body hemp handbag that my friend bought me for Christmas. It’s currently priced at £31.99, if you need something bigger or with a different style then definitely have a look around.

Reusable Water Bottles

Choosing a reusable water bottle I always think is such a personal thing, I personally love klean kanteen bottles but there are so many to choose from these days depending on the size, function and colour that you want. The link below will take you to the website so you can choose the perfect one for you or your child.

School Uniforms

Another thing you’ll need to consider if you have school age children is making sure that they have uniform that fits and if they need the next size up, allow enough time for you to source this uniform before they start back in the Autumn term.

When you shop for these things secondhand, you just have to ensure that you can get everything you need from various secondhand places and then source new if you can’t.

Some of the best places to source secondhand uniform are as follows:

• Ebay App, I love using Ebay for general unbranded school uniform such as polo shirts, trousers and shoes. People often do bundles as well so you can really pick up a bargain this way
• Vinted App, this is another great option for used school uniform, sometimes you can even find some that is new with tags and just surplus to requirements.
• Facebook Marketplace, another great place to find school uniform local to you is on Facebook marketplace. Some areas even have specific Facebook groups for certain schools where you can buy and sell named school uniform.
• Charity Shops (thrift stores), if you’re struggling to find what you need online it might be worth trying to find the uniform you need in a thrift store. For things like plain trousers, skirts and shoes you may find it more easily.

If you are unable to find what you need secondhand and you can afford it, there are places that you can get brand new organic cotton school uniform such as Eco Outfitters and there’s even Kool Skools which is a Fairtrade and sustainable brand which works with schools to create school uniform.

If you wanted to learn about some natural fall decor ideas, you can read my post on the subject.

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