Even though we’re winding up Plastic Free July for 2022, it doesn’t mean you have to stop putting in the miles to reduce your plastic footprint. Every month should be a plastic free month!
In the last instalment of plastic free swaps, we head into our favourite place in the home (aside from our bed complete with peace silk pillowcases) and yes, that is the kitchen. Horror story time: did you know around 70,000 microplastics are consumed by an average person each year?
According to a study showing plastic pollution waste statistics, this amount, if broken down, is equivalent to approximately 100 bits of microplastic in just a single meal. And sadly, that doesn’t discriminate whether or not you’ve started eating sustainably.
Further to this, 40 billion plastic kitchen utensils are used and discarded each year primarily because kitchen utensils, such as spoons, forks, and knives are made from plastic for easier disposal (aka lazy). If that’s not making you feel a little ill, let’s bring it home with the fact that there are 40 billion plastic spoons, forks, and knives are used and thrown away each year.
And how about your trash disposing techniques? When you’re not composting like an eco-warrior, for every plastic each of us use, that equals 160,000 bags used every second and 5 trillion for the entire year. That’s double the size of France. FRANCE.
But we can keep calm and carry on plastic free. Here’s some simple swaps you can make in the kitchen, to make your every meal that bit sweeter.
Plastic Free Swap #1: Cling Wrap for beeswax wraps
Instant no-brainer for wrapping your work snacks in, clearing up leftovers after your dinner parties, and keeping certain perishables fresh. Beeswax Wraps lead the charge with their unique blend of anti-microbial properties including the highest quality ACO certified organic Australian beeswax, colloidal silver, wild pine resin, and organic Jojoba oil.
We also love HoneyBee Wrap who’s reusable beeswax wraps are eco-friendly, waste free and non-toxic to wash, wrap and re-use. Or go one better and DIY your wraps. This includes you, beeswax pellets, baking paper and cotton fabric, on which you’ll simply melt the wax onto. Easy, right? Get the full details on how to make your own fun and reusable wraps here.
Plastic Free Swap #2: Kitchen foil for silicone baking mats
Kitchen foil, baking paper or parchment, whatever you use to whip up your baked and oven goods, are the epitome of single-use. You can’t recycle most of these due to the coating of bleach and dioxins. Swapping for mats you can use over and over will help ensure your baking adventures leave no trace. And they make baking sooo much easier!
Go For Zero do the simplest zero-waste alternative with their non-stick Reusable Silicone Baking Mats made from non-toxic LFGB certified silicone. Seed and Sprout come to the rescue with their Un-Baking Paper made from flexible, durable silicone and are completely food safe and also LFGB Certified.
Plastic Free Swap #3: Plastic food containers for stainless steel food containers
Storage for the kitchen doesn’t have to be made up of your parents tupperware from the 80s, or the local takeaway’s plastic containers. It can be a lot more stylish than that, and safer for you and the planet, of course.
Cheeki does a range of sizes to store leftovers or your lunch, sandblasted into 100% food grade stainless steel boxes and lids. We love Biome’s leak-proof and airtight containers that stack neatly inside each other for storage, made from high quality 304 grade stainless steel and silicone. And, don’t forget you can always save your wallet a little, by saving and reusing your glass jars.
Plastic Free Swap #4: Plastic dish brush for compostable dish brush
Ditching the single-use doesn’t stop after you’ve made your meal. In fact, it’s just the beginning. The next step in creating your conscious kitchen is to consider how you’re cleaning your dishes. Ditch the plastic for a brush that won’t feel the burn out after a few spag bols, doesn’t utilise chemicals in the production process and won’t end up in landfill. Ever Eco’s cleaning brush range is made from plants to provide a sustainable alternative and are made from unvarnished wood to eliminate chemicals from the production process. They are also compost compatible and prevent brushes from slipping out of wet hands.
Plastic Free Swap #5: Chux for a biodegradable dish cloth
The very naming of ‘Chux’ isn’t exactly doing single use disposal any favours. We’d like to not-Chux, thanks. Fortunately, Flora and Fauna offer cute eco-friendly dish cloths that are made from cotton and cellulose and are 100% biodegradable. They’re also super absorbent and long-lasting. When you're finished with them, just pop them in the composter and they'll break down. Yay! Meanwhile, Who Gives A Crap truly gives a crap about cleaning with their washable Dream Cloths, which can hold 13x their weight in water and are made with 100% plant based ingredients, to be tossed in the compost when they eventually need to be done away with.
Long live Plastic Free July! It’s really not hard to put in the work in your daily life, so our beautiful planet can breathe the way Mother Nature intended. That’s what we call a fair swap.
