After the news of microplastics broke, I’ve become increasingly conscious of the amount of plastic in my home and have received so many questions about alternatives for home and kitchen products that are often made of plastic. While we cannot completely avoid microplastic and toxin exposure, making these swaps can massively decrease your exposure, which good for you health (and the planet’s).
Water
You need a good filter! In lieu of a house filter system, I really like the Berkey and Aarke’s filtered carafe. Once your water is filtered, make sure you are storing it in either glass or stainless steel.
Storage
When it comes to food storage, glass and silicon are best. You could also do stainless steel (these are pretty cool), but I find that if I can’t see what’s inside the container I don’t eat it and it goes to waste.
Kids stuff
Gahh, the kids stuff is tough. Here are few alternatives that I really like: water bottle, cups, plates, lunch box, compostable sandwich bags, popsicle molds.
Kitchen tools
When it comes to the kitchen, we want to be mindful not only of the chemicals in plastic, but also how it can melt in the dishwasher, leaving a plastic coating on all your clean dishes (ack!).
Cutting boards: I like wood and these rubber ones.
Cooking utensils: Silicon, stainless steel, and wood are the best materials. I love this set.
Appliances: Think about your air fryer, toaster oven (this is a 2-in-1), waffle maker, slow cooker, and your coffee machine (we don’t want that hot liquid sitting in plastic, Breville makes some great options).
Bamboo colander: I loooove this thing!
Produce bags: If you’re heading to the farmers market, use these instead of single use plastic.