7 Easy ways to go plastic free in your kitchen

We have been working on phasing plastic out of our home and business, it is not easy. For a relatively recent invention plastic has become ubiquitious in the way we live. I’m not going to write statistics — there are too many and we all saw the baby turtle. Plastic is ruining our planet and our health.

We have been making gradual changes — I can’t see the point of throwing everything out to buy alternatives but when something breaks or comes to the end of its life we are seeking out plastic free alternatives. We are also changing the products and the packaging for our business and urging our suppliers to do the same. It is a long process and we have found that there is not always a plastic free alternative as this is a new issue and businesses and individuals are innovating solutions all the time.

We realised that plastic is everywhere in our house so have been carefully tackling each part and making changes. The kitchen is one of the more complicated areas so here are our quick wins for getting plastic out of your kitchen.

At the bottom of this blog you will find links to some great websites where you can purchase some of the items mentioned and check out other plastic free products.

  1. Swap sponges & scourers

Sponges and scourers are made from petroleum products and are not bio-degradeable. As we use them they shed tiny particles of plastic into the water which ends up in the sea. Microplastics are not found in every ocean and are extremely harmful as they are eaten by small animals which form the basis of the foodchain. They are present in the bellies of 90% of seabirds. This is a really quick win in terms of reducing pollution.

There are cheap bio degradeable alternatives on sale such as Lucky Hedgehog Tawashi brushes. I love Tawashi brushes, they are natural (made from coconut fibres)and do a great job of cleaning without scratching. We have also noticed that we use less washing up liquid when using these, its a win-win. There are also Loofco washing up pads which are made from a plant source.

2. Ban single use plastics

Single use plastics are being talked about everywhere at the moment with organisations such as Greenpeace campaigning for them to be banned. They are a scourge and you can help by banning them from your house. No more plastic drinking straws, food bags, water bottles, cutlery and so on…

Single use plastics will hopefully be banned soon anyway you can start the ball rolling in your own home. When businesses see consumers acting it makes them take notice and make changes.

3. Buy loose veg

As supermarkets fell in love with bar codes, suddenly everything needed more packaging. It may save us seconds at the checkout but it is costing us dearly in terms of pollution. Buying the loose veg doesn’t cost anything in terms of your pocket. Its a super easy way to reduce your plastic usage.

You could also consider using a veg box scheme or local supplier so that your food hasn’t travelled so far. They usually ship your food in second hand boxes.

4. Change bags

Get yourself some good grocery bags made from cloth so that they can be used many times and are washable. You can also get bio-degradable bin bags and re-usable silicone zip bags for food.

D2W bags are as strong as your usual bin bag

5. Eat real food

Which brings us the the reason we have kitchens — food! At this stage most of us will find it almost impossible to go completely plastic free in the kitchen because of the way we shop. Large food producers are starting to look at plastic free alternatives but this is going to take time. If you have a job and family to look after then you might not have time to start researching and doing the things you would need to do to completely eliminate plastic. There is one simple rule here that we can all try to follow which will make a difference — make your own food from fresh ingredients.

Convenience foods are heavily packaged. Just think about the average ready meal. They have a cardboard sleeve, (probably coated in a thin sheen of plastic) and at least one plastic pot with plastic covering. Inside they may also have mini bottles and pots for sauces which are usually plastic. You might have 5–6 separate bits of plastic to feed one person. That’s a lot! Cooking takes time but it is better for our health and the planet. There are lots of ways to save time on cooking such as batch cooking and freezing. It tastes better and nourishes your body and soul in a way ready-made food never can.

6. Change your food containers

We had loads of cheap plastic food containers as I have always been careful about food waste. We save everything to use later and I thought plastic boxes were the best way to do this. They are better than food bags which we throw away after use but you could consider replacing them with pyrex or glass food containers. We haven’t thrown away our plastic ones but as they come to the end of their lives we are recycling them and replacing with plastic free alternatives. We will not be buying any more plastic containers, bowls, cups or tools for the kitchen.

7. Ditch cling film

There are now a few companies producing non-plastic food wraps. We tried BeeBee Wraps which are pieces of cotton coated with wax. They are re-usable and keep food fresh. We love them and became such converts we featured them in our August box. I especially love the way they keep cheese fresh without it getting sweaty like it does when stored in plastic. We use them for everything now. You can cover a bowl just like you would with clingfilm or make pouches to carry food around. Genius!

For more on plastic free living there are some great blogs out there

The Joy of Living Without Plastic

My Plastic Free Life

Zero Waste Chef

If you’re in the UK here are some online shops where you can purchase plastic free products

Mangle & Wringer

Plastic Freedom

Check out our Instagram & Twitter for more inspiration on living a conscientious life. Join our bookclub & get a monthly dose of inspiration & treats

We are a SlowLiving subscription box encouraging people to slow down and live well with inspiring products and gifts every month

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade