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Here are 5 disposable kitchen things you should stop using and what you can replace them with. We’ve made these easy changes in our family, and you can too!
Friends, the world is creating more trash than we can possibly dispose of (or even recycle). There are extreme ways to go “zero-waste” and there are simple ways, and I’m a fan of simple! Let’s get rid of these disposable kitchen items and replace them with durable, sustainable solutions.
Have you heard about the family that reduced their trash to just a couple of handfuls a year? I read about them in Sunset Magazine a couple of years ago. They bring all their own containers to the grocery store (even a pillowcase for bread), and don’t own any books–they get them all from the library. Their story is amazing, but it’s not realistic for our family right now.
We’re doing what we can–our recycle bin is twice as big as our garbage can, and we have a big compost bin in the backyard.
But there’s always ways to improve…even little steps can help. If we don’t take care of the planet, pretty soon the whole place is going to look like this.
5 Disposable Kitchen Things You Should Stop Using
Here are 5 disposable kitchen things you should stop using and what to replace them with. We’ve made these easy changes in our family and you can too.
1. Plastic straws
Replace with: Stainless steel straws
Americans use and throw away millions of plastic straws each day. Plastic straws are not easy to recycle, so they end up being thrown away–clogging landfills and ending up in the ocean, harming sea turtles and other creatures. These stainless steel straws (say that five times fast!) are durable and easy to clean.
2. Paper Towels and Napkins
Replace with: Paperless towels or knitted napkins
Our family used to go through a lot of paper towels and napkins each day. I was happy to discover these handmade paperless towels, because they only cost about the price of two paper towel packs at Costco and will last forever. You could also cut up some old t-shirts or knit up a set of napkins with this colorful cotton yarn.
3. Zip-top Bags
Replace with: Pyrex storage containers
If you have some zip-top bags in your pantry, rinse and reuse them (except for those that held raw meat). Once they’re gone, switch to Pyrex storage containers. Or just put your leftovers in an recycled spaghetti sauce jar or peanut butter jar. Here are more ways to store your leftovers without plastic.
4. Cleaning Supplies
Replace with: Homemade cleaners in glass bottles
I know, I know. The commercials on TV make it seem like you need to buy 8 million different cleaners (in plastic bottles) for every room in your home. Not so! We use homemade glass cleaner, we make our own All-Purpose Cleaner for the kitchen and bathroom, and lots more. Isn’t that Fantastik? (ba-dum-bum)
You can get all of my tested and trusted natural cleaning recipes in one ebook: Natural Cleaning for Your Entire Home.
5. Paper Coffee Filters/K-Cups
Replace with: Reusable coffee filters or reusable K-Cups
Most of us couldn’t get through the day without coffee–I get it! But while paper coffee filters are compostable, the more than 9 BILLION K-cups that are sold each year are not. If you’re a Keurig fan, you can make a big difference by switching to reusable K-cups.
There’s a lot of waste and trash out there, but these small changes in the kitchen can make a big difference for our planet. They aren’t too tough, right? Which one will you try first?
