Eco-Friendly alternatives are all the rage right now, which is a good thing! I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for ways to help the environment. I hate feeling wasteful when I use a ton of paper towels or when I toss away those plastic food storage bags. So, I made a resolution to upgrade some of my commonly used household items to more environmentally friendly ones. I did a ton of research and these are my 5 favorite eco-friendly kitchen upgrades to help you save the environment:
1. Reusable Water Containers
It’s 2020 - we should be ditching the plastic, single-use water bottles and upgrading to reusable ones. There are SO MANY DESIGNS to choose from! Personally, I went with a stainless steel one, as they keep cold drinks cold (and hot drinks hot, for those who need their hot coffee or tea in the morning!). It will save you money as well, since you can just refill your bottles at home with your favorite filtered water, and most quick stops/coffee shops will fill your bottle for free (but maybe toss them a tip if you’re going to do this, especially at busy times!).
2. Produce Bags
You know how when you shop for produce, you get those little plastic bags to put your goodies in? They are made of plastic and literally get tossed when you get home (or within a short amount of time). So much waste! When I was doing my research, I came across reusable produce bags. They are usually made of some form of netting, whether it’s a burlap material or nylon. They come in varying sizes and are usually color-coded by size so you’ll know what you’re grabbing. And OMG they are the BEST! I cut out all that plastic waste (and I get a ton of questions about them too!)
3. Silicone Sandwich Bags
These things are amazing! I hated tossing away all of those plastic food storage bags. I felt sooo wasteful. These replacements are so much better! They come in different colors, are freezer safe, and will help cut down your plastic waste. They also come in different sizes, so if your food storage needs are a snack or a whole meal, they have a size for it!
4. Travel Utensil Set
This is just a handy tool to have! Instead of using plastic, one-use utensils at restaurants/quick stops, pack your own! You can pack your own silverware in a cloth napkin, or even a camping silverware roll (basically, a cloth napkin with pockets to put your utensils in and a ribbon to tie around it after it’s rolled). Just make sure your silverware is metal, or upgrade to bamboo, if you can’t stand metal clanking against your teeth (yes, that’s a thing!).
5. Beeswax Wrap
Plastic wrap is something that definitely gets tossed after one use, but did you know it often gets stuck in the recycling machines so it’s often tossed into landfills anyway? Animals also mistake it for food and ingest it, which is not a good thing. So what’s the alternative? Beeswax wrap! You can reuse it multiple times too - all it needs is a wash with cool water and soap. They’re usually made with organic cotton, sustainably sourced beeswax, tree resin, and organic jojoba oil. Oh, and they are completely compostable when it comes time to dispose of them! Warm up a wrap in your hands, cover your container, and as the wax cools, it hardens to keep your food fresh. How cool is that?
There are so many eco-friendly upgrades out there. What are some eco-friendly upgrades you’ve made to cut down the plastic use in your life? Let us know in the comments below!
XOXO,
Your Squeaky Green Team
Comments