Looking to give your dishes a sustainable sparkle? Try this guide to eco-friendly and refillable washing-up liquid to find the UK brands that scrub up brilliantly in the plight against plastic waste.
Choosing refillable washing-up liquid is one of the easiest things you can do to use less plastic in your home.
After all, in the UK, 13 billionplastic bottles are used every year – many of which will be toiletry and cleaning product bottles. The majority of these bottles are single-use. Yet with a plastic recycling rate of just 52% in the UK, there’s no guarantee your bottles will actually be recycled.
Refillable options drastically cut your plastic usage. Some of the best refillable washing-up liquid brands even take back your container, for reuse, or offer ways to avoid plastic bottles altogether.
Guide To Sustainable Refillable Washing Up Liquid Brands
If you’re looking to join the refill revolution and say no to single-use plastic, then I’ve got your back. Use these quick links to jump to information about each sustainable brand, or keep scrolling for the full post:
- Miniml
- Delphis
- Bower Collective
- MadeKind
- Bio-D
Miniml
| Vegan-friendly | 💚 |
| Cruelty-free | 💚 |
| Palm oil-free | ❌ |
| Made in | The UK |
| Price | £15.45 for 5 L |
| Price per litre | £3.09 |
| Available from | Miniml |
Looking to wave goodbye to single-use plastic? Miniml makes it easy with its clever closed-loop recycling scheme.
Simply fill a glass Miniml bottle (or your own bottle) with one of its washing-up liquid refills – available in 1-litre or 5-litre sizes. With a truly closed-loop recycling scheme, you can then send your refill container back to Miniml to be cleaned and reused again and again.
Alternatively, you can skip this process by refilling your container at your local zero-waste shop. With hundreds of Miniml refill points across the UK, it’s never been easier to refill and repeat.
Miniml’s washing-up liquid comes in a choice of two delicious scents – apple orchard or wild rhubarb and lemon. These effective blends take on dirt, grime and grease easily, yet are gentle on your hands.
Free from VOCs, chlorine bleaches, solvents, lanoline, sulphates, parabens and phosphates, this washing-up liquid is non-toxic and readily biodegradable. Plus it’s safe for septic tanks.
As an Ethical Consumer best buy and certified by both the Vegan Society and Cruelty-Free International, you can be sure you are in safe hands.
Delphis Eco
| Vegan-friendly | 💚 |
| Cruelty-free | 💚 |
| Palm oil-free | ❌ |
| Made in | The UK |
| Price | £25.00 for 5 L |
| Price per litre | £5 |
| Available from | Big Green Smile |
As a certified B-Corp, Delphis Eco makes eco-friendly cleaning products with two goals in mind. The first is that each product must work as well as its conventional competitor. And secondly, each product must be formulated with aquatic organisms in mind.
As you would then expect, Delphis eco washing-up liquid is specially formulated with natural plant-based ingredients. This gives it a powerful grease-busting action that leaves your cutlery, crockery, glassware, and utensils streak-free and sparkling clean, even in hard water areas. I’ve given it a go on my own dishes, and couldn’t fault its performance.
Yet despite its powerful action, it’s gentle on your hands and safe for use around pets. In fact, all of its products are free from VOCs, chlorine bleaches, solvents, lanoline, phosphates and phosphonates.
Delphis Eco washing-up liquid can be bought in 2-litre or 5-litre cartons, allowing you to refill a bottle of your choice. Whilst Delphis Eco doesn’t offer a returns service on its refill cartons, these are made from 100% recycled and recyclable plastic.
Bower Collective
| Vegan-friendly | 💚 |
| Cruelty-free | 💚 |
| Palm oil-free | ❌ |
| Made in | The UK |
| Price | £21.99 for 5 L |
| Price per litre | £5.50 |
| Available from | Bower Collective |
Made in the UK using 100% naturally derived and ethically sourced ingredients, Bower Collective’s range of concentrated washing-up liquid is tough on burnt-on stains.
Its vegan-friendly and cruelty-free washing-up liquid is free from harsh chemicals, including petrochemicals, phosphates, preservatives, and enzymes. This makes it readily biodegradable, as well as suitable for use in septic tanks and around pets.
And instead of synthetic perfumes, its washing-up liquid is fragranced with natural essential oils. With options ranging from pomegranate, grapefruit, lavender, or fragrance-free options, there’s something for every preference.
In terms of bulk sizes, there are a few different sustainable options. The first is the 5-litre bag in a box system. Alternatively, you can opt for the cheaper 1-litre refill pouches. These are handy if you don’t have the space to store a larger box or don’t have the cash to shell out on the bigger boxes.
Whatever choice you opt for, both can be returned to Bower Collective when they are empty. Simply return the bag or pouch to Bower in the free pre-paid envelope provided. You don’t even need to wash the pouch out. Simply pop it in your nearest post box as is.
Bower will then refill it with the same product at its refill centre, ready to go again! Each pouch can be reused over and over again. At the end of its life, Bower ensures that the pouch is responsibly recycled with its specialist recycling partner.
MadeKind
| Vegan-friendly | 💚 |
| Cruelty-free | 💚 |
| Palm oil-free | ❌ |
| Made in | The UK |
| Price | £22 for 3 L |
| Price per litre | £7.33 |
| Available from | Veo |
MadeKind creates natural, plant-based cleaning products that are free from harmful chemicals. Its biodegradable formulas are safe to use around kids and pets and use natural essential oils instead of harsh, synthetic fragrances.
Its grease-busting washing-up liquid is enriched with essential oils and natural botanicals known for their antibacterial properties and uplifting scent. These include lavender, peppermint and rosemary oils. This leaves your dishes sparkling clean and your hands smelling amazing.
Once done, you can refillyour washing-up bottle from a 3-litre ‘bag in box’ that is fitted with a handy tap for no-mess refills. Just don’t mistake it for wine! Once the box is empty, the inner bag can then be sent back to Madekind for recycling using the handy Freepost service.
Bio D
| Vegan-friendly | 💚 |
| Cruelty-free | 💚 |
| Palm oil-free | ❌ |
| Made in | The UK |
| Price | £14.82 for 5 L |
| Price per litre | £2.96 |
| Available from | Ethical Superstore |
Finally, Bio D is another great brand you can trust. As one of the eco-cleaning originals – on the go since 1989 – it’s racked up a whole host of certifications. Bio D is a certified B-Corp, and is endorsed by Cruelty-Free International, The Vegan Society, and Allergy UK.
What’s more, Ethical Consumer has awarded this budget-friendly brand its “Best Buy” status. This is a label that is only awarded to those products and services whose environmental and ethical records warrant it.
As you can imagine, there’s a lot to love about this brand. For a start, Bio D makes all of its products in the UK. Plus Bio D has complete traceability on all the ingredients it uses, so it can ensure each and every raw material used is ethically and sustainably sourced.
I’m a big fan of Bio D – I’ve been using its pink grapefruit washing-up liquid for YEARS now. It may feel a little watery compared to other brands, but this concentrated washing-up liquid packs a mean punch. I haven’t found a greasy pan or an oily plate that Bio D can’t handle.
Whilst Bio D offers a closed loop system for its 20-litre refill containers, there is no takeback scheme for its 5-litre refill containers yet. Instead, these are made from 100% recycled plastic and can be recycled in your home recycling.
Looking For More Sustainable Dish Washing Solutions?
Check out this handy guide to the best eco-friendly washing-up liquid and my guide to the best eco-friendly cleaning products for more cleaning inspiration! Alternatively, try out Marseille soap to do your dishes without any waste at all. Check out my guide on how to use Marseille soap for the full how-to.
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