Reduce Plastic in Your Kitchen
Your kitchen is a fantastic place to take a step toward sustainability—and a plastic-free kitchen has health benefits, too. That’s because some of the same products filling our trash cans and recycling bins aren’t necessarily great for us in the long term. Plastic products in particular may contain endocrine disruptors (more about that from NRDC), plastic recycling (see The Guardian) is not necessarily the most effective (better to do it than not, though), and those plastic products may or may not actually be recyclable (LiveScience) anyway.
The good news is that, like in your bathroom (here are some bathroom swap ideas), you probably do a lot of habitual buying when it comes to things in your kitchen. That means that a thoughtful step toward a plastic-free kitchen that you make now affects future buying decisions as well—less work for more impact!
First, we need some information. Just like tracking your spending or counting your calories, actually looking at what you’re throwing out regularly will let you make the most informed decisions about how to use less plastic. It will help you reduce plastic waste as effectively as possible.
Tape a blank piece of paper above your trash can. It can be the back of something; it doesn’t have to be pretty. We promise this is not permanent home decor.
Tape another piece above your recycling bin if it’s in a different place.
Put a pencil near each piece of paper. Maybe even tie it to piece of string and tape it to the wall if you need to.
As you throw out or recycle anything plastic, jot down what it is. If it’s already on the list, add a tally mark next to it.
After a week or two, you will have a personalized list of relevant opportunities to cut back on your plastic usage! Use it as your guide for how to create a plastic-free kitchen: start with the things you use most and work your way down the list.
15 Ways to Reduce Plastic Use for a Plastic-Free Kitchen
Here are some swap ideas to get you started. Keep in mind that some may be more relevant to you than others—start with the list you made above, not this one. But hopefully you will find something helpful on it for your own version of a plastic-free kitchen!
Plastic hand soap and dish soap bottles. Consider using bar soap (it’s available for both hands and dishes!), refilling a glass pump-style jar (like this one from Amazon) at a local bulk foods store, or finding soap in a bottle you can compost.
Dishwashing sponge containing microplastics (more on microplastics at A Waste Free World). Consider one of the many lovely biodegradable options out there instead.
Cleaning supplies in plastic bottles. Consider using glass spray bottles in which you can mix up some concentrated cleaner or make your own out of white vinegar.
Plastic wrap. We switched to storing leftovers in hand-me-down (and beloved!) Corning ware dishes (here's some from ebay) with glass lids. If you don’t have these in your basement, they are available at your local thrift shop and every estate sale. You can also get reusable food wrap made of beeswax (like this one from Package Free shop.)
Plastic containers for refrigerated leftovers. Speaking of Corning ware, it comes in all sizes, it can go in the dishwasher, it can go in the microwave, and if you throw it accurately, the right piece could probably disable a home invader. So basically it’s perfect for leftovers. Frozen leftovers are a little harder, but people love Stasher bags and other silicone-based, reusable bags.
Plastic sandwich bags. Consider beeswax-based food wraps or reusable sandwich bags. We send lunches to school in a Planet Box and have a couple of more adult bento boxes for the grown-ups.
Individual coffee pods (here's how to optimize your coffee habit). Consider using a refillable pod or a coffee machine that does not require them.
Unnecessary packaging. Consider the alternatives to what you normally buy—the ones that ended up on your list. For example, we switched from individually wrapped tea bags that come in a box that comes wrapped in plastic to tea that comes in an aluminum jar. The jar is refillable, loose tea goes straight into the teapot strainer, and plain used teabags can be composted.
Plastic bags for produce. Consider using washable produce bags instead of the disposable ones at the grocery store.
Fresh herb clamshells. If you find yourself using one or two fresh herbs more regularly than others, would it be possible to grow some on your windowsill?
Plastic soda bottles. Consider switching to aluminum cans or maybe even stock your plastic-free kitchen with a home soda machine with refillable canisters (we get ours from sodasense).
Containers of things sold in bulk. If you can find a good bulk section near you, a collection of glass jars will go a long way for you. Bonus: you’ll know at a glance how much you have left of any given item. No need to remember how much is hiding in the package. Don’t forget you aren’t limited to mason-style jars—you can use a refillable spritzer for olive oil and a refillable honey jar for honey, if you so choose.
Containers for things you could make. If you like to bake, for example, you don’t need to buy bread wrapped in plastic.
Containers for things you could buy elsewhere. If you don’t like to bake, for example, you could find a bakery that will sell you a loaf a bread without wrapping it in plastic first. Here’s another use for your washable produce bags.
Containers with alternatives. At the end of the day, sometimes one brand of pasta sauce comes in plastic, and the one next to it comes in glass. You can choose the one in glass. Or, fill your plastic-free kitchen with refillable containers from a local zero waste shop or bulk foods store, if there’s one near you, or an online supplier like Loop. (Plaine Products is another online supplier with refillable containers; they don’t have food, but they do have hand soap!)
If you can’t get rid of something in plastic entirely yet, consider if you can get it in a concentrated version. Less plastic is a step in the right direction too.
Is there something you love that you wish didn’t come only in plastic? Reach out to the company that makes it and ask if they have any alternative packaging. Maybe they do, or maybe they’ll think about it for the future. If you’re talking to a small business in your community, maybe they can help you arrange for a purchase in your own container. Not only will that help you on your way to a plastic-free kitchen, it may help them think about how to offer it to the rest of your community too!
