Eco-Friendly Tape is Scarce, Here are Your Best Options

Photo by Crissy Jarvis on Unsplash

Let’s talk tape shall we? 

Tape is very useful in our lives. From crafts to gifts, to fixing your car, tape is here to keep things together.

But it’s wasteful.

The goal of being zero waste is to keep things out of the landfill and to recycle less. 

So what can we do about tape? Is there a better way? Sure is! Check out what this page is all about:

• Tapes to stay away from
• Plastic-free tape
• Paper tape
• Water-activated tape
• Water-dissolved tape
• Packaging tape

Tapes to Stay Away From

Some tapes to limit in your life are duct tapes, washi tape, and plastic, sticky tape.

These tapes have one of these qualities:

• Cannot be recycled
• Cannot be composted
• Made of plastic

Plastic Free Sticky Tape

There are plenty of zero waste options for you to consider. Here’s what to look for in tape:

Just the Roll!

Try to get tape without a hard plastic case. Getting just the roll, cuts down on that plastic. You can reuse ones you already have or you can use scissors if the tape isn’t easy to tear.

Bonus points if the roll is cardboard.

Paper Tape

You’re going to find a lot of paper-based options in this article. And that’s because paper is the best alternative to plastic in the tape-scenario.

Compostable Tape

Composting is so awesome! You can turn materials into soil instead of sending it to the landfill or recycling facilities. If you compost, choosing tapes that are compostable lets you tape things guilt-free!

Water-Dissolving Tape

This tape can be dissolved in water after it’s done. It’s a neat magic trick that can keep the tape out of the landfill. However, be careful of the packaging and the spool for these tapes.

Biodegradable Tape

Being biodegradable means these items can naturally breakdown faster than nonbiodegradable options. So, if you cannot compost or recycle a certain tape, making sure it is biodegradable can help it have a better chance at a landfill. 

This however is not ideal and should be your last option.

Plastic Free Paper tape

The best bet for tape that is less wasteful is to stick to paper-based tapes.

Here are some options of zero waste paper tape to give you an idea:

3M Micropore Paper Tape

Masking Tape

Colored Masking Tape

Water-Activated Tape

Water-activated tape is also called “gummed” tape. The adhesive gets activated when it gets wet. Most water-activated tapes are paper-based so they are a good alternative!

Brown Kraft Gum Tape

Water Activated Gummed Kraft Paper Tape

Sustainable Packaging Tape

Parcel tape, packaging tape, or shipping tape (whatever you want to call it!) needs to be tough and durable. Is there an eco tape out there that is plastic-free and can hold packages together? 

Yup! Biodegradable Cello Carton Sealing Tape by EcoEnclose is used by many eco-friendly companies. Regular consumers can purchase some on their website too! You don’t have to be a business.

You can also check out their other tape products including eco-friendly tape dispensers.

Zero Waste Tape 

Zero-waste, eco-friendly, plastic-free tape is a little challenging because we don’t use tape for long-term use often. But thankfully there are several options to get our tape usage to zero waste.

Now, most of these options will not be sticky enough to piece together a car, but for our other uses, they can be just fine.

Opt for the compostable paper kind as much as possible and live your best zero-waste life!