Flying Without Plastic: Alternatives to Zip Bags

Plastic bag ban, single-use item ban - plastic-free flying is trending. But the annoying zip bags for liquids in hand luggage are mandatory. However, there are more eco-friendly alternatives.

Officially, the EU regulation stipulates that liquids in hand luggage must be transported in a resealable transparent plastic bag. Therefore, officially, it is not allowed to switch to an alternative to plastic - although some countries prohibit entry with plastic bags.

However, on the one hand, there are some more sustainable plastic bags, and on the other hand, there are other containers. It is important, however: If an airport staff member requires you to pack your cosmetics in a disposable plastic bag, you must comply, or you can be denied access to the plane.

Can you take the remaining risk? Then here are our alternatives:

Admittedly, a transparent toiletry bag is also made of plastic. However, it can be used for years - unlike freezer bags or other thin single-use zip bags. And here the likelihood is highest that the airport staff will not object.

Be sure to ensure that the capacity is one liter when purchasing. This is the maximum volume you can take along. Some providers sell larger bags and suggest that you can take them in hand luggage. However, you are then dependent on the kindness of the airport staff.

An alternative to the plastic bag is a storage bag made of transparent silicone. Silicone is indeed also difficult to degrade, but it is better for humans and the environment than pure plastic. The bags are usually available in sets of about four to five and are not particularly cheap at 15 to 25 euros. They can also be used well for storing food.

You should pay attention to transparency in silicone bags. Many bags are colorful, albeit transparent, but not clearly transparent.

To be on the safe side when traveling by air, a colorless variant is recommended. You should definitely avoid colorful prints like faces or figures.

There are some transparent cotton bags on the market. However, very few are suitable for airplanes. Many cotton bags are either not completely transparent, or they usually do not have a zipper, just a drawstring.

However, especially in the office supply sector (and also aquarium filters), there are cotton or nylon bags with zippers. They are usually not completely transparent, more like a kind of thin mesh. The advantage of the bags: They are relatively cheap, at two to three euros each.

Although many environmentally conscious people already use aluminum bottles or reusable bottles to take their shampoos, shower gels, and other items on board in 100-milliliter containers, there is also a simpler option - and it saves space.

The trend is moving towards solid cosmetic products like solid soap, solid shampoo, solid cream - also called shampoo bars. In cities, there are already drugstores where these products are sold. And if you have a little extra time, you can easily make the products yourself.

The advantage: Shampoo bars don't count as liquids. So you don't need a zip bag anymore.

Tupperware containers are sealable - and they can also be bought transparent. Tupperware containers are not only suitable for storing sandwiches or other food. If they have a capacity of one liter, it is worth trying to store your liquids for the flight in them.

Generally, it is permitted to take glass bottles and containers in hand luggage. However, there are individual airlines that prohibit it in their own carriage regulations. Therefore, you should check beforehand how your airline handles this.

Glass containers are especially practical if you're only transporting one or a few liquids, like a lip balm and hand cream.

But note again: You could run into issues because they can't be closed with a zip or zipper.

The easiest way to bypass the hand luggage liquid regulation is to store all your liquids in checked baggage. Surely, it should be possible to do without hand cream and such for a few hours.

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