With an estimated 1 billion high-density polyethylene laundry detergent containers discarded in the U.S. alone, it’s time to talk about plastic-free and zero waste laundry detergent options.
Thankfully, there are quite a few brands stepping up to the plate with low-waste detergents made from natural, biodegradable ingredients and packaged in compostable, reusable, and/or recyclable packaging.
This guide will break down low-waste options for:
- Laundry Detergent Pods
- Laundry Powder
- Liquid Laundry Detergent
- and even a Landry Soap Bar!
Note that this guide includes affiliate links. As always, brands and products featured meet high standards for sustainability and are brands we stand behind. Cover image is from Waste Free Products.
Zero Waste Laundry Detergent Pods, Tablets, and Strips
1. Dropps Laundry Detergent Pods
Dropps’ laundry detergent pods are my low waste detergent of choice! They give you the same convenience as pods, but without all of that plastic waste. The pods are shipped in the compostable or recyclable box you see in the photo without any additional packaging materials and the pods themselves are wrapped in a biodegradable, water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol film, which is ranked 1 (with 1 being the best) by EWG.
Price: $24 for 56 pods/loads without subscription; $18 with subscription
Use code LIFE15 for 15% off
2. Truman’s Laundry Bars
Another zero waste laundry ‘pod’ option is Truman’s laundry bars. The dissolvable bars are made with non-toxic ingredients and packaged in biodegradable polyvinyl alcohol film, similar to the Dropps ones.
Price: $29 for 60 bars
3. Blueland Laundry Tablets
Blueland’s laundry tablets come ‘naked’ (i.e. without any plastic wrapping) in a reusable tin, making them another simple zero waste laundry solution. The brand’s tablets are free from ingredients like parabens, phosphates, chlorine bleach, MEAs, DEAs, TEAs, SLES, petroleum, artificial dyes, and fragrances.
Price: $18 for Starter Set with 40 tablets; $14 for Refill
4. Tru Earth Laundry Strips
Another convenient low-waste laundry detergent solution is Tru Earth’s pre-measured laundry strips! These non-toxic detergent strips come in plastic-free recycled paper packaging and are readily biodegradable. Similar to the pods, these strips can simply be tossed into the washing machine with your clothing or linens!
Price: $19.95 for 32 loads ($17.95 with subscription)
5. Eco Nuts Organic Laundry Detergent
For a completely natural detergent solution, look no further than Eco Nuts. Made without any added ingredients, Eco Nuts Soap Nuts are simply just dried berries from trees in Nepal that have saponin, an all-natural cleansing agent and fabric softener. They work similar to pods — you put 4 to 5 in a bag and throw it in the wash! What’s great about Eco Nuts though is that they can be reused up to 10 times before being composted.
Price: $11.89 for 100 loads
Use code CONSCIOUSLIFE for 10% off
6. Nature First Soap Berry Laundry Pods
For a different take on these natural soap berries, Nature First has created laundry pods made with a soap berry concentrate for maximum effectiveness. Nature First’s plastic-free laundry detergent is made with natural ingredients like baking soda and aloe vera and is free of toxic ones like sulfates, phosphates, parabens, and fragrances.
Price: $26 for 60 pods
Use code CONSCIOUSLIFE for 10% off
Zero Waste Laundry Detergent Powders
7. Meliora Eco Laundry Powder
Meliora is a natural cleaning product business with highly concentrated laundry powders manufactured locally in Chicago from 100% natural ingredients, like baking soda and coconut oil. The plastic-free laundry detergent is packaged in a recyclable or reusable steel container. And, you can also get refills in paper bags from Meliora for your canister!
Price: $17 for 128 loads
Use code CONSCIOUSLIFE for 10% off
8. The Simply Co Laundry Detergent
Made from 3 simple ingredients, The Simply Co. lives up to its name with its no-nonsense laundry detergent. The detergent itself is completely biodegradable and the glass jar and tin are recyclable or reusable.
Price: $18 for 60 loads
9. Bestowed Essentials Laundry Powder
Free from ingredients like parabens, sulfates, preservatives, and artificial fragrances, Bestowed Essentials has non-toxic low waste laundry detergent you can feel good about using. The laundry powder formula is biodegradable and the paper packaging is compostable.
Price: $15 for 64 loads ($13.50 with subscription)
10. The Good Fill Laundry Detergent
Made with just 4 ingredients and free of fragrances, chlorine, phosphates, and other toxic ingredients, The Good Fill’s laundry powder is not only good for the planet, but good for you and your family, too. The powder refills are shipped in a compostable or recyclable paper bag.
Price: $
11. Milk Street Laundry Powder
Milk Street Soap Co. is a woman-owned business from North Carolina with zero waste and non-toxic laundry detergent. Taking low-waste to a whole new level, Milk Street not only uses -lastic-free packaging but actually uses soap cast-offs — in addition to natural ingredients — for their sustainable detergent.
Price: $16 for 40 regular loads/80 HE loads
Zero Waste Liquid Laundry Detergent
12. The Wally Shop Laundry Detergent
The Wally Shop is a WOC-owned zero waste store and delivery service with groceries and household products in reusable packaging. The essentials — like laundry detergent — you order from The Wally Shop will arrive in glass jars on your doorstep and then once you’ve used them up, you can return them to be cleaned and used again!
Price: $7.62 for a 19 oz jar (about 19 loads)
13. Zero Co Laundry Liquid
Australia-based Zero Co makes plant-based laundry detergent free from phosphates, bleach, dyes, and other toxic ingredients. The liquid laundry detergent dispenser is made from ocean plastic waste and the pouches are refillable. How it works: After refilling your dispenser with detergent, you can send the refill packs back to Zero Co for them to clean and refill again for reuse!
Price: $41 for combo with dispenser + 4 liters of detergent
14. Cleancult
Cleancult makes cleaning products made with clean non-toxic ingredients, like coconut oil, olive oil, and citric acid. The brand also is on a mission to support you on your low waste lifestyle journey with their refillable glass laundry dispensers and recyclable refill cartons.
Price: $15 for laundry bottle; refills are $10 for 64 loads
Zero Waste Laundry Bar
15. Waste Free Products Laundry Soap Bar
This ultra-concentrated laundry soap packaged in a compostable cardboard package is about as close to zero waste laundry detergent as you’re going to get! The bar — made from biodegradable ingredients — can be dissolved to make one gallon of liquid laundry soap.
Price: $25.50 for bar (up to 264 loads)
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