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 put a bit of natural castile soap in the mop water. Isn’t that Fantastik? (ba-dum-bum)
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?
CTY says
Great post! I had no idea of the reusable swim pants. I went green many, many years ago, but not so much to save the planet as to save $green$. Saving the planet is just a bonus. We love our reusable straws (I have stainless, DH prefers glass).
I do not use garbage bags to line the cans. You see we compost fruit/vegetable scraps, the dog eats dinner leftovers (although I have mastered how much to cook & scraps are few & far between) and practically all food containers are recycled . We don’t use paper towels so there is rarely “wet” garbage. I disinfect by using as the can as the bucket when mopping the floor.
I have never owned a vacuum cleaner that required bags.
I bought a “Swiffer” type mop that takes durable, washable pads (FlyLady.net).
I MYO “Swiffer” style washable refills for the duster (made from fleece, so no hemming, no unraveling).
I only freeze meats that fit into canning jars; the pint jar holds 1 lb. ground meat, 3/4 lb cubed beef, a good number of sausage links or 1/2 lb of boneless chicken breasts with a “Dump” recipe marinade. All other meats are bought fresh & used right away.
I made Dryer Balls to replace dryer sheets (the dryer is only used for bed linen).
CTY says
Forgot to mention… About disposable diapers. I used a diaper service. I didn’t save any money like families that wash their own, but I felt it was a good compromise to reduce diapers in landfills. There is no real difference when changing baby. There is an adjustment when out in public because you have to bring the dirty diaper home–so just pack some empty bread/produce bags.
Kathy Davenport says
I usually use handkerchiefs instead of tissues (except when I have a cold).
Rachel G says
We rinse and reuse ziploc bags for the things it makes the most sense to use them for, but those pyrex dishes really come in handy, especially because you can heat up the leftovers right in them!
Jessica (@squareduptweets) says
We refill water jugs at the machine outside the grocery store. It amazes me that so few drink water out of glasses anymore, everyone seems to buy water in bottles. A few weeks ago a young guest came in from the pool and asked for “a water.” He seemed puzzled when I handed him a glass of water, in a glass!
I also gave up paper towels and napkins years ago. We are vegan so I can reuse our ziplocks quite a few times, and I love those reuseable plastic stretch things that look like hair nets over bowls. I’m a big fan of glass mason jars for storing stuff.
I really want to order some glass straws on Etsy for my smoothies, they look so pretty!
allsquaredup.blosgspot.com
stasia says
Love this! We try to reuse as many things as possible!
More With Less Mom (@MoreWithLessMom) says
Ooh I need cloth swim diapers! Thanks for sharing. Hello from Thank Goodness It’s Monday!
Grimm says
We used cloth wipes for our daughter. Why use disposable wipes if you use cloth diapers!?! We gave up soda and bottled water years ago so our recycling can only gets taken out once a year for pick up. Our town has a farmers market which we go to and use our own cloth produce bags and market bags. Most of So Cal is forcing consumers to provide their own shopping bags or pay for paper bags. Our county hasn’t started this yet but we already do it. We have a worm compost bin so our toilet paper tubes and kitchen scrapes go to the worms. The castings go in the garden around our berry bushes. I save the soft paper egg cartons we get from Costco. Once I have a bunch I take them to the local preschool for their art projects. I home can my own jams and jellies so I just reuse my canning jars. Most jellies come in plastic at the store now anyway!
Cynthia Stower says
I refuse to buy paper towels, but we do use a few paper napkins. I reuse ziploc bags and I have lots of the glass food storage dishes that I use a lot. We don’t use straws, and we have a compost bin. Good post.
Gael says
I’m frugal with paper towels, but I’m not giving that item up. There’s an environmental cost either way, because with cloth you’re using water and electricity to wash and dry. I don’t think one way is better than the other. My vacuum doesn’t take bags; I recycle; I reuse ziplocks but have many plastic food storage containers; I compost; and we drink tap water. More concerning than all of those is that we have a chemo medication in vials that our county hazardous waste won’t take, nor will the police, and the do quarterly medication disposal drives. I’m going to ask a hospital to take it, because I have no legal way of disposal, and it’s a carcinogen. If I can’t find proper channels, then I have to keep it which is ludicrous.
Heather P says
We gave up using paper towels about 6 or 7 years ago. We used our surplus of dish towels instead. However, I now repurpose old flannel pajamas and terry towels and create a new style of cloth “paper” towels so now we can have nice dish cloths again. 🙂
Theresa L says
cloth diapers & wipes, cloth feminine hygiene products/menstrual cup, cloth TP, use cloth wipes for tissues, and everything listed above except printer cartridges-it takes us YEARS to go through one black cartridge and gave up using color ink b/c it always dries up before it gets used. paper products get reserved for things like oil and grease that would be next to impossible to wash out, and really gross things like puke
upcycling is great too, when I sew I try to find sheets at the thrift store before going to the craft store
Rose Felton says
Well, after reading this I’d say I was doing pretty good. I’ve been using stainless steel straws for several years, instead of paper towels and napkins I have towels for that, but I do keep some paper towels for times that I don’t want to use a towel on (dog poop, vomit, etc.) . I use containers for keeping leftovers in, but I do have a few zip locks for times when I’ve dried a small amount of herbs and need to place them in something. I make all my cleaning supplies including laundry detergent and a lot of my personal care products. I don’t drink coffee so don’t need filters.