Best Affordable Reusable Alternatives For Plastic Items

To live sustainably and conserve our environment, we must avoid the use of plastic as much as possible. This is because of reusable alternatives to plastic items. when plastic items are disposed of, they release toxic wastes into the land and atmosphere as well as take forever to decompose.

Replacing plastic products with recyclable products or eco-friendly items, therefore, will go a long way in conserving our environment and saving the ecosystem. Here are some great cheap alternatives that you can use instead of plastic.

Cheap Reusable Alternatives For Plastic

Mesh Produce Bags That Are Washable

Washable mesh bags are a great alternative to plastic bags when it comes to grocery shopping. Mesh bags are incredibly cheap, especially when bought in sets of multiple bags. The best part is that mesh bags are durable and you can rewash them when they get dirty instead of throwing them away. The bags are also foldable and compact, meaning that they will occupy minimum space in your kitchen when it comes to storing. They also come in different colors and designs; a variety of options for different shopping occasions.

Reusable Wraps For Food

Plastic food wraps may be the most common type available, but you can opt for better reusable wrap foods as an alternative. Food wraps are important and necessary items to have in your home, helping to cover bowls of food, pack snacks, or use as place mats.

Nowadays, you will find reusable non-plastic food wraps made of cotton, tree resin, jojoba oil (organic), and even beeswax (harvested). The wraps are more durable compared to plastic wraps because they are easy to wash, implying that you can use them over and over again. The eco-friendly ingredients used to make the wraps also make them compostable, thereby ensuring that they would not pollute the environment once they have outlived their usefulness.

Steel Containers For Grains

Most people have different plastic containers in their homes where they store things like beans, rice, pasta, and other types of grains. If you have such plastic containers in your home, you can easily replace them with better reusable options, such as high-quality steel containers.

Steel lasts much longer than plastic does, which means that steel containers will help you continue to store your food over long periods of time before needing replacement. You should look for steel containers that have narrow glass windows built into one of the sides to help you keep track of the level of food in the container without having to climb up the kitchen shelf, open the lid, and check the food.

Stainless Steel Bottles

Instead of using plastic bottles for drinking water, juice, or other beverages, you can switch to using stainless steel bottles. Although some plastic bottles may be fancy, they also tend to be incredibly expensive for what they are and can be a plague to the ecosystem. Some higher-end stainless steel bottles have the benefit of a double-wall insulated vacuum chamber to ensure that your drink remains at its original temperature as long as possible, whether hot or cold. With regular cleaning, you can also reuse these eco-friendly bottles essentially for as long as you need.

Wooden Disposable Cutlery

A better alternative to using those plastic disposable cutleries is using wooden forks and spoons. The wooden cutlery are compostable, which makes them infinitely more friendly to the environment. Wooden cutlery also has the added benefit of generally being cheaper and with appropriate cleaning, you can reuse them as much as you want. The FDA approves wooden cutlery above plastic types because they are biodegradable.

Bamboo Tableware

Bamboo is an easy, fast-growing alternative that will hopefully soon replace plastic and other non-environmentally friendly options. To get started, you can choose bamboo tableware instead of plastic ones the next time you are shopping. Items made from bamboo are reusable and renewable in addition to being almost as light as plastic. Bamboo is always biodegradable so your home will not only be filled with reusable items but also safe non-toxic ones.

Paper Cups

If you work in an office that uses disposable plastic cups for water or coffee, you can replace them with paper cups. Paper cups are cheaper as compared to plastic and will minimize some of the office expenses. Another reason why you should opt for paper cups is that they are also safer to use. Unlike plastic cups, they will often not burn your hands if the liquid in them is too hot (though this obviously depends). Paper cups are also reusable materials because they can always be recycled instead of throwing them away.

Steel Drinking Straws

Drinking straws are among the most common type of plastics that pollute the environment in modern times. If you own a restaurant, you can provide drinking straws made from stainless steel to your customers to do your part. The straws are not only reusable but also end up being cheaper in the long run. They are also classier as compared to plastic straws and can add a certain level of sophistication and awareness.