While our kitchens are places of joy and happiness and delicious, delicious, food, they can also be a cause of a lot of unnecessary waste. From plastic wrap to disposable straws and napkins to plastic bags to single-use silverware, a lot of made-for-the-kitchen products end up going straight to the landfill.
Thankfully, there are some AMAZING products on the market to help us combat that trend in our own kitchen – and these are some of my very favorite alternatives to disposable kitchen staples. I personally use and love all of these items, and I know you’ll love them, too!
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STASHER BAG
One of our favorite kitchen finds! Stasher bags are a dishwasher-safe, microwave-safe, sous-vide-safe alternative to plastic Ziplocs. By far our favorite plastic bag alternative.
LINEN NAPKINS
Replace paper napkins or paper towels in your kitchen with reusable napkins. I love linen: if they get wrinkly, it still looks very natural. To clean, just toss them in the laundry!
NONSTICK BAKING MAT
Use this nonstick baking mat in place of tinfoil or parchment paper to line baking sheets for cookies or roasting. Food lifts right off and it’s super easy to clean!
REUSABLE METAL STRAW
It’s easy to throw a plastic straw in your morning smoothie and not think much of it, but straws can end up in the ocean or polluting animal habitats! These metal reusable straws are a great alternative and are surprisingly easy to clean.
MISTO OLIVE OIL SPRAYER
A DIY cooking spray canister! Fill it with olive oil, pump the pressure pump, and mist away. A wonderful, environmentally-friendly alternative to canned cooking spray - bonus points for being able to fill it with your own favorite oil!
REUSABLE BEE'S WRAP
Use Bee’s Wrap as an alternative to plastic wrap or saran wrap in your kitchen – let the natural heat from your hands heat up the beeswax on these sheets and they’ll stick to just about anything! Easy to clean and to use.
REUSABLE PRODUCE BAGS
Plastic produce bags are a huge source of waste, but they don’t need to be! Take these reusable, washer/dryer safe mesh produce bags to the store or the farmer’s market and use them in place of the plastic ones. Machine washable - toss in with the rest of your laundry to clean!.
REUSABLE TOTE BAGS
Ok, these are kind of a given, but who doesn’t need more reusable grocery bags?? I keep these basic bags in my apartment, in our cars, in random purses and camera bags, you name it. Most grocery stores sell their own reusable bags, and you can also find fun illustrated bags online.
WASHABLE DISH CLOTHS
A stack of good dishrags can help curb paper towel use. I keep a pile of these under the sink and reach for one anytime there's a spill - just toss them in with the rest of your laundry to clean! Easy to use and more environmentally-friendly than paper towels.