Plastic Free Kitchen Essentials! | 11 Eco Friendly Products to Reduce Plastic Waste

Hello munchies, welcome to the channel if you are new. I'm Alyssia and I'm so excited you're here. We are tackling a hot topic today. Plastic

waste

. Everyone loves to criticize people who

waste

plastic

, especially on social media and me. Get it, it's irritating how much

plastic

we waste, especially with food

products

, but what bothers me is that people are so quick to attack others and yet they offer no solutions, stop using plastic, well then, what? what I do? Glass jars are not the answer to everything. so I decided to find out what I do instead of plastic and I'm sharing some of the alternatives I found with you today.

This video is not sponsored, no one paid me or sent me these for

free

. I bought them all myself and I will say that it's not cheap to go plastic-

free

, so check your privilege guard before you hate on someone, especially someone you don't know on the internet. I get that you're trying to make the world a better place, that's great, but I also think. that most people are doing the best they can to move forward. I am NOT a fan of any of these brands here. Honestly, I looked at the reviews when I researched, but I'll tell you what I really think as we go through this and I've included a PDF. with links to all of these

products

, if you want to try any of them for yourself, I will say that it was a little irritating that almost all of them came wrapped like a meter of plastic oh the irony okay first I wanted to address plastic bags ziplock bag very convenient but obviously does nothing good for the planet.

I have a few options here. These silicone food bags that I shared in a previous video are probably my favorite because you can throw them in the dishwasher so they are easy to wash. Using the truth is that many plastic alternatives are a lot of work and nowadays we all want convenience so it's important to find a balance between the two if I really want it to be sustainable and not just try it for a week and then give these up, I would use them for sandwiches or snacks. I also have these larger food storage bags that are also silicone and great for storage, but it's great because you can also cook them sous vide which means they can go straight into the boiling water.

It can withstand high temperatures as well as the microwave, dishwasher, etc., making them very convenient. The downside, of course, is the cost. This bag was almost $20, the small one is over $10, you have to admit, these are supposed to last a long time, but I don't. I haven't tried any of these products long term yet so I can't say how they work. Some people say that the crevices are difficult to clean, so if you try them, be diligent and make sure there is no dirt left behind or else. you will end up without plastic bags and you will lose money.

Next up is this reusable wrap, it has a protective foil layer, it is made from natural cellulose paper and as it is BPA and PVC free you can wrap sandwiches, snacks or produce and it is easy to clean because it is waterproof as well that you can actually wipe it off or rinse it and let it dry. I guess this is more of a substitute for aluminum foil or plastic. I will say that it is irritating that it comes wrapped in plastic and that is another thing. I just want to complain about why our toys are still packaged with so much plastic.

People love to hate convenience- and plastic-packaged foods, but they still buy children's toys with plastic packaging. See for yourself, this item seems to clean up easier and hopefully it will hold up. It was about $10 which is more affordable than some alternatives, but remember if you want several other plastic wrap alternatives will be added, they are these beeswax tracks. I shared them in a previous video. I've been trying to use them for the last few months. You can use them to wrap sandwiches, fruits or cover bowls. It's made from beeswax, so it feels a little waxy. Obviously, it's supposed to be sustainably harvested beeswax, but who knows?

These are also very expensive. A pack of three can cost between $15 and $20. To be honest, I like the idea of ​​these more than I actually like them, maybe I'm just not patient enough, but they just don't stay on as well or close as easily. They have many options online, so you can get different patterns. This is probably the most common plastic wrap substitute I found, but I don't think it's the easiest. I also bought some silicone stretch lids to reseal food in bowls or jars. These are more affordable. I bought a six pack for eleven dollars and I think that's more.

They are also functional instead of plastic wrap, they are easy to place over leftovers or even half of a melon or large fruit. The different sizes are useful and like most of these other products, they are BPA free, phthalate free, non-toxic, etc. can also be used. the microwave from the freezer and I think this is probably the most practical item that I can easily integrate into my lifestyle right now without feeling like I'm making a huge commitment while I was thinking about this video, I was thinking where do I use plastic now that I can ? maybe finding an alternative and one thing that came up was garbage bags, to be honest it wasn't easy to find an alternative, well I think there are eco-

friendly

options out there but they aren't very useful, most of the bags don't have drawstrings which I am used to some including ties, but Caban that is not convenient and some do not have any ties.

Also, biodegradable bags are great in theory, unless they start to break down while the trash is still inside, like many of the reviews. It was noted that for different brands, this brand had better reviews so far, so it's good, unfortunately , there are no links and I will say that many reviews also said the same thing for all of these types of bags, but the 13 gallon bags are definitely not 13 gallon and do not fit. The trash can likes the usual plastic ones, so it's an irritating adjustment. Also during my search for trash bags I found many companies trying to sell you their products, but not necessarily trying to protect the earth.

Remember that the goal of the company is to sell it. While they may want to help the Earth, they may also want to sell it to you because they know you want to buy something that will help the Earth. While researching, I found many alternatives to plastic that could also be better for the environment compared to plastic. But many of the products cause damage to the environment in their development, for example, some are made from plants or sugar cane and the cultivation consumes many resources. In addition, many of these are recyclable but not biodegradable, so if they go out into the ocean and a turtle eats them, the turtle is not saved.

Some companies advertise that they are biodegradable but this is only true in certain very controlled environments. Maybe it is biodegradable in This room where they tested it where they can control the heat and everything around it, but if it's left out on the street it's not going to degrade naturally. My point is not to not buy these items, but simply to keep in mind that just because it says it's made from plants doesn't mean it's helping the environment. I think I'm trying to get away from a better stem. single-use products as much as possible, so things like garbage bags most of us won't completely eliminate tomorrow, but if we can use fewer items that are ultimately used once and eventually thrown away like ziplocs, plastic bottles, water, grocery bags, cutlery, etc. then we can do more good than stressing about buying garbage bags made from plants, so items like eco silver work great, but they still have to be thrown away, even if they can biodegrade naturally, it is better to use normal cutlery, the same with straws, paper, cornstarch.

Wheat straw is great, but they are single-use stainless steel that can be washed and reused, they are actually more environmentally

friendly

and waste less. Bamboo straws are another tricky issue because bamboo has a high carbon footprint. The bamboo is from China, not the US and most. Of those straws are only about 15% bamboo, the rest is cornstarch and resin, which is a chemically formed plastic. Water Bottles We all know we should stay away from single-use bottles. Find a reusable one that you like and that you can refill over and over again. I have a couple more items so I mentioned grocery bags and obviously we want to use more of our own reusable items when we can, but this also includes produce bags.

Those bags of produce are not doing the earth any favors and are easy. To replace them, I bought them on Amazon for twelve dollars for nine of them in different sizes and they are durable, BPA-free, and most importantly, reusable. You can use them for anything not just groceries but they are great multi-purpose bags that are better for the environment you can also use these or get other bags like these cotton bags for bulk items. Now, if a store sells items in bulk, you can often bring your own container, a bag or jar, just have the store take the weight of your container. first so you can get an accurate price for the product quantity.

I know Sprouts, for example, is willing to do this and does it for me when I go and these produce bags can also be used as Volkman items and actually include tare. The weight of the bag is great too and Casey didn't know that grocery bags and produce bags can be recycled in the bins in front of most grocery stores, but so can Amazon packages, for What those blue and white envelopes that indicate that they can be recycled can be recycled. brought to that same place and those are my plastic alternatives to share with you today, at the end of the day, just do the best you can, it's expensive to go plastic-free, but remember, with anything, it's probably all or nothing. don't last I suggest starting a sustainable transition so you can gradually use less and find a way to maintain your lifestyle while helping the environment.

It's also worth noting that this evolution of an obsession with plastic waste really is. I hate to say it's a fad, it's not an accurate measurement. or that we shouldn't think about it, talk about it and find alternatives, but just as fads and fad diets come and go, even if they are focused on the environment, this will be our will to do the best we can, but For the love of the Earth, stop being mean to people online. about it, focus on your business and do the best you can, you are not the plastic police, if you want to try any of these items, I have linked them below and in the free PDF that you can download if you have other items that you like, feel free.

Share them in the comments because I'm sure anyone else here watching this video is interested in more. I appreciate you being here. I appreciate your kindness in this community. I know it's hard to find on YouTube, but I feel very lucky to have you. Here's see you next week and remember it's all about mind over munch