Cheap disposable products are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Whole cities have begun to ban one time use plastics, styrofoam, and many other disposables that are harmful to our water and environment. To help you make the change to a more sustainable life, we’ve rounded up the best reusable products for 2019.
All of these must-have home goods will make life less complicated, and decrease your monthly spending on disposable items. You might feel like you can’t live without your paper towels or plastic sandwich bags, but we think otherwise.
Once you read about these reusable options, you’ll be rethinking your shopping habits and reshaping your lifestyle in no time at all.
1. Reusable Snack Bags
This is an important featured item for families, especially. Reusable snack bags are becoming so popular, and there are many different forms of them available.
Silicone
Dishwasher safe and easy to clean, silicone zip-up snack bags are some of the most common reusable snack bags on the market. They often will keep your snacks more secure and fresh than the average disposable zip bag.
Fabric
Fabric snack bags either feature zippers or button snaps, and are made with grease and stain proof fabrics. They can be rinsed out and easily washed with your kitchen towels in the laundry.
Mesh
Mesh snack bags are perfect for housing vegetables like baby carrots or broccoli. The air ventilation will keep them from wilting, and the mesh design means no trapped odors and extremely easy care.
2. Un-Paper Towels
If you’re still using paper towels and napkins- we have a suggestion for you. Cloth napkins may seem like a thing only for fancy restaurants or special occasions but think again. Thin cotton towels are highly absorbent and easy to clean. Some brands even come pre-rolled around a dispenser for easy use.
If you are wondering how to create good routines around using Un-Paper towels, we suggest buying a wet bag to hang somewhere in your kitchen or laundry room. Place dirty un-paper towels in the bag after use, and wash with your laundry like normal.
3. Water Bottles
If you aren’t already on the trend of taking your own water bottle with you on the go, this is the first place you need to start. Disposable plastic water bottles create a ton of waste. Start packing around your favorite water bottle with you. There are so many designs and options to choose from, like the ones featured over at EcoKarma, you can’t go wrong.
If you want to take your reusable water bottle to the next level of sustainable living, we suggest buying more eco-friendly material. Stainless Steel, Glass, and even Bamboo water bottles are increasing in popularity as well as quality. The process of making these bottles is much less harmful to the environment.
4. Reusable Straws
Many cities have begun to ban the use of disposable plastic straws at public restaurants and bars. Our suggestion to you is to start carrying a few reusable straws in your handbag or backpack. If you use straws at home, start by replacing them with one of these straw options:
- Stainless Steel
- Glass
- Silicone
- Bamboo
- Reusable Plastic
5. Plastic Free Wax Wrap
Cling film doesn’t really work anyway- why not replace it with a much easier to use and sustainable option? Bee’s wax wrap is coated paper that wraps tightly around everything from plastic to sandwiches in order to make lunch-on-the-go less messy. As a bonus, some brands make it in fun patterns!
We feel confident that all of these products will fit seamlessly into your life and routines. Start with the one that seems easiest for you to integrate into your daily to-do’s. After that, challenge yourself to replace something disposable that you feel like you can’t live without.
Our final suggestion is to share your success with others! When you find a reusable product that you love, tell others about it or gift it to them. When they see your success they might be inspired to make more sustainable life choices, as well.
