The amount of plastic waste us humans have created and continue to create is an appalling assault on the animals, our environment and our own health.
If like us, you’re looking to curb your plastic use and opt instead for quality items that you can reuse in your kitchen for food storage and prep, then you’ll be pleased to know that we’ve put together this roundup of useful product ideas and solutions.
This list is by no means exhaustive, so if you have any tips or hints please make sure you share them with us in the comments section so that we can all make a difference in cutting our plastic and general waste to a minimum.
And just a note – this article contains affiliate links. This means that if you click on one of our product suggestions and purchase it, we will receive a small commission on the sale. It won’t cost you anything extra but it will contribute to helping us to keep One Bite Vegan going as a free platform. Thanks so much for your support!
Let’s get started!
Food shopping
Most supermarkets these days have either got rid of plastic bags or charge you for them. You can come prepared by getting a set of reusable shopping bags.
There’s a whole range of materials and patterns available to suit your tastes.
We like these REGER Ripstop Shopping Grocery Bags, which are really handy as they come in a pack of six and they fold up into a little pocket for easy storage. Plus they are machine washable so you don’t have to worry about any spills. They have a great range of patterns to choose from too.
And to replace those plastic fruit and vegetable bags in the produce section, you could try these reusable produce mesh bags. They come in a set of nine (small, medium and large sizes) and are light enough that you shouldn’t get charged much more than you would if you were using a plastic bag.
Food Storage
If you’re trying to avoid plastic then this 18 piece set of glass food storage containers is ideal. These are really great for storing leftovers, meal-prepping or for storing food in the fridge or freezer. A great thing about using glass containers is that you can defrost a pre-prepared meal from the freezer and place it straight into the oven to rewarm!
Reusable food wrap is very popular right now but you might have noticed that most of it is made using beeswax. Don’t fret though, because there are vegan-friendly versions available that use soy wax in place of beeswax.
To use it, you simply use the warmth of your hands to make the wrap pliable and then you can shape it around the item you are wrapping.
There are plenty of vegan options available but we like the patterns offered in this pack of three organic food wraps.
Reusable Baby Food Storage Pouches
If you’ve got little ones in the house this set of refillable squeeze pouches will come in really handy. You can fill them full of homemade purees and freeze them, defrosting them as you need them. These little squeeze pouches are really useful when you need to feed baby when you’re out and about as well.
You can store your homemade bread and baked goods in these attractive unbleached linen storage bags. These would also make a great housewarming gift with a couple of your signature loaves!
Kitchen Essentials
Another great idea for cutting back on plastic, these biodegradable garbage bags are made from plant starches. They are compostable, so you can use them to place your kitchen scraps in and then transfer the whole thing straight to your compost bin. They’re also useful for regular trash as well. Kept in a cool, dry place, these bags will stay useable for up to a year.
Did you know that you can get recycled aluminium foil? If you need foil for cooking certain foods, then a recycled option is definitely more eco-friendly. Check out the Reynolds Wrap 100% recycled aluminium wrap range.
If you want to get away from aluminium wrap entirely, cheesecloth may be an alternative option. It works well for shaping seitan creations and is versatile enough to be used to strain nut milk and make vegan cheeses. We like this 100% unbleached cotton cheesecloth that has an ultrafine weave.
Party Time
Having a party and don’t want to do the mammoth job of tidying up all the dishes afterwards? Well, you can have your cake and eat it too by choosing compostable cutlery, cups and plates.
We like this Forks/Spoons/Knives combo set. It’s durable, heat-resistance and yet still biodegrades in the compost! It’s BPA free and made from non-GMO corn.
This set of cups and plates are all made from sugarcane, so you can safely put them in the compost bin after the party’s over.
With summer coming up, this portable solar cooker makes a great eco-friendly and healthy (no smoke fumes) alternative to a disposable BBQ. You can take it camping, to the park or the beach. The bonus is that because there’s no fire, you can probably take it to places where BBQs and open fires are prohibited.
Do you have any other ideas? Feel free to share them with us in the comments section below.
Very Helpful and Informative post.
Thanks for explaining that you can get reusable produce bags that you can take with you to the store and don’t weigh much more than plastic bags. My wife and I set a goal this year to reduce waste, and we are currently looking for ways we can reduce waste in the kitchen right now. I’ll consider using reusable food bags.
Hello. I also search home decor blogs and I really like trendy kitchen storage containers items and thanks, It’s a great thing that this article suggested the importance.