Making sustainable swaps around our home simply means switching to a product that produces less waste. In turn, we are buying less products, dealing with less trash, and gaining peace of mind by contributing less to our plastic pandemic. Purchasing items that last longer and can be reused is better for all of us in the long run. Plus, having these reusable items around your home adds an undeniable aesthetic—sustainable now meets chic!
Beeswax Wraps
It’s definitely eco-friendly to save food but it’s even better to upgrade our food storage items. Instead of preserving leftovers with plastic wraps or tin foil, you can use beeswax wraps. Ditch single use plastics (that are so annoying to use anyway!) for a pack of reusable beeswax wraps. They come in different sizes and shapes, are easily washable, and naturally antimicrobial. Most are made out of beeswax, some cotton, and resins that make them clean and durable for many uses—don’t forget about the fun patterns!
Glass Containers
Now that we have oodles of research that tells us we should keep plastics away from our food, it’s time to make plastic Tupperware a thing of the past. Storing food in reusable glass containers or even mason jars is better for our budget because they last longer, is better for our health because heating foods in plastic is a definite no, and is better for cutting down on waste. Sure, it’s great to reuse take out containers whenever possible, but purchasing pretty glass containers to replace Tupperware is a no brainer. You can also purchase reusable plastic bags to replace Ziploc baggies as well.
Glass Straws
Straws are made out of just about every alternative material these days and our pro-tip is to go with glass. Plastic straws are single-use items that usually end up in our oceans no matter where we throw them out and most paper varieties sneakily contain some plastic as well. Try making a habit of carrying a cute glass straw in your car or bag. Like the glass food containers, most glass straws are break-proof and super easy to clean. Metal or silicone straws are a good option too.
100% Recycled Toilet Paper
Toilet paper production in the U.S. and Canada is about as destructive to the environment as you can get. Americans use more TP than anyone in the world and the vast majority is sourced from trees in Canada’s Boreal Forest—an old-growth forest that cannot be replaced without hundreds of years of growth and an extremely important and unique carbon sink for the world. And it’s disappearing because of toilet paper! Luckily, we have swap options. If you are willing to spend a little more on each pack of TP, opt for 100% recycled paper—look for Seventh Generation in stores—or 100% bamboo paper, which you can order online from companies such as Cloud or Reel.
Or to cut down on your TP use and costs altogether, invest in a bidet. Attachable bidets are very affordable now (they pay for themselves after a few packs of TP), available right on Amazon, and easy to install on your own to any toilet tank. Who knew eco-friendly could be so luxurious!
