Ditch the plastic and single-use items for these eco-friendly alternatives that you can adopt into your everyday lives.
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While adopting a zero-waste lifestyle might sound intimidating, swapping out one or two everyday products for eco-friendly alternatives definitely seems more doable. And, really, in reality, it is. All it requires from you is to swap out one single-use item for a reusable item that will allow you to reduce waste, reduce pollution and adopt a slower more circular lifestyle that is more sustainable in the long run when it comes to using the resources of our planet.
Cling Wrap to Beeswax
Preserving the longevity and the freshness of food is a daily struggle. Traditional cling wrap might be a convenient option to solve this, but it’s a disposable plastic that contributes to the plastic pollution problem and can take 20 years to decompose.
Organic Beeswax is an eco-friendly alternative to disposable cling wrap. Made from a combination of cotton, pine resin, and beeswax, these are compostable.
Single Use Water Bottle – Reusable Water Bottle
Plastics are one of the biggest polluters of the ecosystem and the planet in general. The U.S. alone consumes 50 billion plastic water bottles yearly which amounts to 17 million barrels of oil. And, with a recycling rate of 9%, that means that a huge number of plastic bottles and bags end up in the oceans.
Reusable water bottles like this Welly design are quality water bottles that are triple-walled for insulation and can be used hot or cold as a water bottle or a tea infuser. Plus it’s made with recyclable materials like bamboo and metals.
Paper Napkins – Cloth Napkins
Yes, paper napkins might be the quickest and the most common solutions, but they are not very good for the planet and the environment single they contribute to single-use waste.
Cloth napkins are an eco friendly alternative since they can be used multiple times. Call it slow fashion for your kitchen. These cotton ones are washable and made without toxic dyes for a more sustainable alternative to its disposable counterpart.
Paper Towels – Microcloths
Disposable paper towels are a major contributor to deforestation which is a precursor to global warming. Adding to that they contribute to landfill waste since they’re thrown away after one use.
The new player on the market is the eco-friendly ‘unpaper towels’. These can be washed and reused multiple times before they’re thrown away. And, they help you to adopt a zero waste lifestyle since they are reusable and made out of 100% cotton.
Cotton Buds – Cotton Rounds
Cotton buds might seem like they have a small environmental impact, but cotton is a crop known for its heavy footprint. A kilogram of cotton takes 20,000 liters of water to grow and if it isn’t organic that cotton plant is also host to hundreds of pesticides.
Cotton rounds are great eco-friendly alternatives to single-use cotton pads. They can be washed and reused and this set is made from organic cotton, so it’s safe and nontoxic.
Sandwich Bags – Reusable Silicone Bags
Like most disposable plastic items, sandwich bags are a contributor to landfill and ocean waste. It’s estimated that every year 8 million tons of plastic waste pollute our oceans.
The reusable snack bag got a makeover with BPA-free plastic designed to last and to be recycled when finished instead of being thrown out. To avoid landfills, these bags are part of Terra Cycle, a program that helps to keep them circular.
Tea Bags – Tea Infuser
In order for tea bags to seal, a plastic polymer is used. It’s a small amount of plastic, but with microplastics threatening our oceans and water supply, single-use tea bags are one item that can be swapped for eco-friendly alternatives.
Enjoying your regular cup of tea will become a much better experience if you know that your teabag is not ending up as waste. With an item like this tea infuser, you can rest assured that you’re using a reusable product that is plastic free.
