Plastic chopping board → hardwood board
Knives cut tiny pieces off plastic boards and into your food. A hardwood board avoids that and lasts for years.
- Plastic avoided
- ≈ 200 g a year
- Typical cost
- £8 – £30
- Swap from
- Plastic chopping board
- Last reviewed
- 26 September 2026
How strong is the evidence?
How the dials work- Exposure evidenceHow strong is the evidence that the plastic version exposes you to microplastics or plastic chemicals?
- Moderate · 3/4
- Environmental evidenceHow strong is the evidence that this swap cuts environmental harm over the product's whole life?
- Emerging · 2/4
- Claim verificationHow well has the alternative's plastic-free claim been verified?
- No product yet
Why swap
Every cut scores the surface of a polyethylene or polypropylene board, and those fragments end up in the food you are preparing. Studies estimate a household can take in grams of board plastic a year this way.
What to look for
- Solid hardwood (maple, oak, walnut, beech), ideally end-grain
- Finished with plain food-safe oil, not a varnish
- No rubber or plastic feet — or natural rubber feet
Watch out for
- Bamboo boards are usually strips glued together with a polymer resin, which counts as plastic
- "Composite" or "fibre" boards are usually resin-bound
Evidence and sources
More swaps in kitchen & cooking
Nylon spatulas and spoons → wood or steel
Hot oil and pans soften plastic utensils. Wooden and steel ones don't melt, chip or leach.
High priority · about 60 g of plastic a year
Plastic kettle → steel kettle with no plastic in the water
Boiling water in plastic several times a day is one of the most frequent heat-plus-plastic contacts in a home.
High priority · about 250 g of plastic a year
Non-stick pan → stainless steel or cast iron
Non-stick coatings are a fluoropolymer plastic that wears off over time. Steel and iron pans last decades.
Worth doing · about 30 g of plastic a year