Cut plastic out of your kitchen with these 6 alternatives
Earth Week is a good opportunity to take a look at where you, personally, can cut down on single-use plastics.
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With Earth Week right around the corner and climate change continuing apace, one way to personally get a handle on the climate crisis and avoid a sense of helplessness is doing what you can, where you are. There are loads of ways to cut down on single-use plastics, for example, and in so doing reduce our reliance on fossil fuel products. Here are six replacements for common kitchen items you might want to consider.
PrettyCare Reusable Produce Bags
Amazon.ca
Shopping bags are a real drag on the transition away from single-use plastics, as they aren’t biodegradable and they’re pretty much everywhere. There are a wide variety of reusable options out there, and we found ourselves drawn to this polyester fibre mesh alternative – lightweight, easy to store, and easily rewashable, they’re especially well-suited for produce and small groceries.
What else we liked:
Comes in a pack of 12, including three large (12X17 inches) bags, six medium (12X14 inches) and six small-sized (8X12 inch) bags
Barcodes can be scanned through the mesh
Rated 4.6 out of 5 by more than 3,100 users on Amazon.ca
Reusable Sandwich & Snacks Bags
Amazon.ca
Another offender: resealable sandwich bags. Sure, some people save and reuse theirs (anyone else have a drawer in their kitchen half full of them, or is it just me?), but eventually, they’re destined for the landfill, where the usual problems of single-use plastics kick in. These reusable sandwich bags from Wattne help head that problem off. Aside from being sturdy enough to be reused again and again, they’re constructed from far more biodegradable polyethylene vinyl acetate (just be sure not to use them in the oven, microwave or dishwasher).
What else we liked:
10-pack includes multiple bags of different sizes, with four- and six-pack options available for purchase
Double zip-lock seals
Rated 4.3 out of 5 on Amazon.ca, based on more than 3,200 reviews
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BALFER Bees Wax Food Storage Wrap
Amazon.ca
Plastic cling wrap also features very heavily in home food storage, and beeswax wraps, like this set from Balfer, are a good and increasingly popular alternative. Made from cotton infused with beeswax, jojoba oil and tree resin (which the manufacturer says is sustainably harvested), simply cleaning with soap and water will keep it usable for a good long while.
What else we liked:
Comes in a pack of six, ranging from 2.5X2.5 inches to 13X13 inches
Can be used on all kinds of food
Rated 4.1 out of 5 on Amazon.ca, based on more than 1,400 reviews
Longzon Silicone Stretch Lids
Amazon.ca
Cling wrap is often also used to seal bowls or jars of leftovers, but what if we told you there was an alternative to that as well, in the form of these stretch lids made of silicone? Non-toxic and dishwasher and freezer-safe, they’re easy to stretch over a variety of container sizes again and again.
What else we liked:
14-piece set includes seven different sizes, maximizing compatibility
Can be used in the microwave, provided the container is not sealed completely
Rated 4.1 out of 5 based on more than 12,500 ratings on Amazon.ca
VEHHE Reusable Metal Straws
Amazon.ca
In the realm of single-use plastics, drinking straws occupy an outsized place. More and more jurisdictions are banning them altogether, and there are paper alternatives, but a sturdier option is stainless steel, like this set from VEHHE. Easy to clean and long-lived, as well as portable, switching to these would keep thousands of single-use plastic straws from the landfill in your lifetime.
Why else we’d order it:
Comes with cleaning brush and carrying bag
Includes two straight straws and two bent straws
Wildly popular among people who purchased it from Amazon.ca, with a rating of 4.6 out of 5 based on more than 25,000 reviews
Kicovitifa Reusable K Cups
Amazon.ca
Keurig coffee machines took the world by storm a few years ago, and for many people, it’s still the go-to for their morning joe – which is an enduring problem for the environment, given K-cups are extremely hard to recycle, and rely heavily on single-use plastic. If you haven’t already, now’s a good time to think about using reusable pods like these. Though still made from plastic, you’ll get way more use out of them than normal K-cups. I’ve used them myself, and they work just fine whether you prefer pre-ground coffee, or grind your own beans the night before.
What else we liked:
Useable in Keurig 1.0 and 2.0 brewers
Dishwasher-safe and long-lasting
Rated 4.3 out of 5, based on 800 reviews by users on Amazon.ca
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