There are so many ways to reduce your fingerprint on our planet that are not only beneficial for Earth but for you too! Maybe you have considered living a more eco-friendly lifestyle, but are stumped on where to start. This list of some of the best reusable items can be a starting point on going green. Getting rid of one-use plastics and disposable items is a great way in creating a more sustainable lifestyle and amazing for the health of our planet!
It’s easy to go through hundreds of snack or sandwich bags a month if you are one that packs your lunch for school or work. If you’re like me, you pack one every day in order to save some money on going out. They come in many different sizes depending on what you prefer.
This is one of the best reusable items that you can get because one, you are drastically reducing the amount of plastic wasted and two, this save you a lot of money in not having to purchase plastic bags each month. You can make a one-time purchase on a few reusable bags and get numerous uses out of them.
They are durable and perfect for packing snacks like, fruit, chips, cookies, and more! Some brands are top-shelf dishwasher safe making it even more convenient in giving them a good cleaning for the next use.
This reusable item makes a drastic impact on the sustainability of our planet. One stainless steel straw can equal up to 540 plastic straws! This is mind-blowing to think that we can limit that amount of trash with just one reusable straw.
You can buy these in a pack to keep some at home and bring some with you on the go. I like to keep at least one with me in case I go out to a restaurant or to get coffee. It may seem a bit odd or even extra to keep a reusable straw with you. You may even think that one little straw from one person won’t make that much of a difference, but everything counts!
You can find these on Amazon or at your local health-food stores. These make a perfect gift too!
Think of how many plastic bags you get from the grocery store. Now think about how many you can avoid using with just one cloth bag. Just one reusable cloth bag is equal to 170 plastic bags. That is an insane amount of one-use plastic you can avoid!
Now if you’re forgetful like myself, I try and put those plastic bags to good use like, using them as a trash liner for my bathroom trash can, or taking them with me while going to the beach or hiking to pick up liter.
Reusable cloth bags will also save you trips from bring groceries into your apartment, dorm, or home. We all know we’d rather kill our arms dragging in groceries than to make more trips than necessary. They are much bigger than the plastic bags, allowing for more items to be placed in them and they are easier to carry over your shoulder for transport. You cannot go wrong in investing in these!
These are such a great alternative to plastic wrap! A pack of these wraps come with three different sizes to cover a variety of dishes. Instead of using a plastic wrap one time then throwing it out, you can reuse these bees wax wraps countless times!
They are super easy to use and store. First wash with water and soap to get any sticky residue off. Then you use the heat from your hands to gather into a ball, hold for a few seconds then its ready to wrap your dishes! These are one of the best reusable items to minimize the use of plastic in your household.
We don’t realize how much plastic we are actually using when grabbing produce from the grocery store. If you put different produce in separate bags you can accumulate anywhere from 5-10 plastic bags.
These reusable bags are perfect for your grocery shopping trips! They are also perfect for bringing to farmers markets for local fresh produce. You can drastically cut one-use plastics from your every day life with these items. On the plus side, they make these bags able to withstand more weight that plastic bags, so no worries on a ripped bag and bruised fruit!
These are such a great way to limit disposable cups or bottles! If you cannot live without your morning coffee, the best way to cut down on the one-use cups from Starbucks, Dunkin, or your favorite coffee shop, is bringing in your own cup for them to make your coffee in. Sometimes, they’ll even cut you a discount!
These bottles or cups are also perfect for keeping your beverages cold or hot as the stainless-steel material works hard to keep it a steady temperature.
Glassware the best reusable items for storing left over food, reheating, and meal prepping. These containers prevent the use of plastic disposable containers; instead of throwing away the plastic leftover containers, you can swap them out for glassware and reuse them time and time again.
If you like to meal prep for your week, these are perfect for storing your food in to keep them fresh. They are great for reheating your food as well and you don’t need to worry about the toxic chemicals sometimes used in plastic seeping into your food.
Let’s help out our trees by limiting your paper towel and napkin use by swapping them out with reusable cloth towels and napkins. With these you don’t need to worry about running out of them, you can simple wash and dry them and you’ll never run out!
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