<p>Common practice compounding of plastic substrates of virgin polymer type and waste origin was achieved to mimic real-world conditions for the desired materials tested in this study. This includes a polyolefin virgin grade, plastic waste, prodegradant additive with a virgin polyolefin and the compostable bioplastic, which were compounded using a number of extrusion techniques. The substrates were then coated with nano-powders divided into four groups, (i.e. Group A: Cu_53.3Zr_25.5Nb_12.9N_i8.3, Group B: CuZn₅₄Zr₂₅Nb₁₄Ni₇, Group C: Cu₄₈Ti₁₇Ni₂₈Zr₅Ag₂ and Group D: Cu₈₅/SUS316L₁₀/Ag₅) leading to a 24 matrix of samples in the experimental design. The in vitro viral toxicity assay revealed that Group B surfaces were best against human coronavirus OC43. Within this category, Sample 6 bioplastic was the most promising as it provided a log₁₀ reduction of −4.75 in just 4h. Based on this work, Group B (e.g. CuZn₅₄Zr₂₅Nb₁₄Ni₇), which has a base of copper (Cu) with a nominal atomic percentile equal to unity, is more effective than the other metal powders considered. The surfaces were also tested against two pathogenic bacterial strains (<i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> and <i>Escherichia coli</i>), with results showing antibacterial properties, namely for Group B substrates. This work could lead to the development of self-cleaning surfaces in various hygienic commodities and applications within the medical and packaging sectors.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>