Plastic Water
Bottles
#1 Offender. I nixed plastic bottles in 2016.​
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Get yourself a reusable water bottle, maybe even a fancy stainless steel insulated bottle, and don't pay for overpriced water again.
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Looking to stock your emergency kit in your house or car? Try Proud Source Water
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Water isn't the only plastic bottle offender. Choose juice, kombucha, and other drinks in glass bottles instead of plastic.
Plastic Baggies
How many boxes of plastic ziplocks do you have filling your kitchen drawers?
First, if you have ziplocks and are only using them once, stop buying more, and start rinsing and reusing them like Kristen Bell.
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Then, when most of your reused baggies are ripped and worn, try Stasher Bags.
They're made of platinum silicone, and are stovetop (in a pot), microwave (leave bag open), oven, refrigerator & freezer, and dishwasher safe.
I have 2 of each size, and they're wonderful.
Use code "stasherlife" for 20% off.
Plastic Wrap
I stopped buying plastic wrap in 2015
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I have these for bowls (they prevent splatter in my microwave too) and these which we mainly use for covering the pet's wet food cans, but are great for leftover soup, beans and other canned food.
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I've heard Bee's Wrap is a great plastic wrap alternative.
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Instead of foil, Cook's magazine suggests using a cookie sheet to cover casseroles, and the cheese won't stick! For storage, cover with a lid, or Bee's Wrap.
The Kitchen Sink
No more gross sponges here.
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I bought this dish brush almost 2 years ago, and it's still going strong.
Marley's Monsters has great cloth sponges too.
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This bottle brush set from Klean Kanteen is a must for how much I use my metal and glass bottles.
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Most straw sets come with a cleaner too.
Napkins & Tissues
Gesundheit
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A hankerchief or bandana works great as a napkin or tissue. I keep a few in my purse for sneezes, spills, and popcorn at the movies.
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We use cloth napkins for meals at home.
Garbage Bags
For those of us who still produce trash (hopefully less now that you've made some swaps, and started composting), we still need garbage bags.
I realized how ridiculous throwing away plastic into a plastic bag was.
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I use these compostable garbage bags. They're not as thick as Glad bags, but they work.
If you're like me and have a stock pile of paper bags, you can use those, or newspaper to line your bin.
Filtered Water
If you don't have a fridge with a filter...
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I had a Pur pitcher when we lived in our apartment, and it got really gross over the years.
I upgraded to a Brita dispenser, and the handle for the spout broke off about a year later. Brita doesn't sell replacement parts, so I would have sworn off plastic filters, but I had 5 Brita filters left, so I borrowed my brother's Brita filter that he used in college.
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Alternately, you can use these or these charcoal filters in a carafe of water.
Coffee
Using a coffee maker with paper filters? Great. Compost those filters, then invest in a cloth filter. I made one from a cheese cloth that works great.
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Using a Keurig? Tired of limited flavor options, and a trash full of filters?
I buy beans in a paper bag, and there's tons of reusable filter options. Less wasteful, and way cheaper.
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Make sure you compost the coffee grounds after, or upcycle them into a body scrub! Just be careful of how many grounds are going down the drain.
Hand Soap
Bar soap can be bought in cardboard boxes, paper, or bulk. I usually go to Grocery Outlet or Target. *I use ring dishes and candle stands I already have for soap.
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I was gifted Blue Land hand soap, and I'm liking it. The tablets are very small to store, refills are easy, packaging is compostable, and they're leaping bunny certified.
Dish Soap
Blue Land also offers dish powder, and they sell a reusable silicone bottle ($10 with starter kit) to dispense the powder.
Dishwasher Detergent
Blue Land offers naked (plastic free) dishwasher tabs too! They have a cute metal container to store your refills, but it seems a little unnecessary. You could find an empty container or jar around your house.
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Dropps offers detergent in a polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) pod. This is a pretty controversial ingredient as far as how/ if it degrades, and what it could release in our water system.
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Both companies use compostable packaging to ship, are cruelty free, and made in the USA. Blue Land is unscented, Dropps has lemon and unscented.