10 Easy and Free Sustainable Swaps For the Ever-Evolving Sustainable Baddie
It’s no surprise that plastic waste makes up a massive portion of the waste that is filling our landfills (second only to food waste). Landfill waste contaminates our soil and contributes to our growing greenhouse gas problem. The plastic lifecycle has the potential to emit 2.8 gigatons of CO2 into our atmosphere by 2050. Let’s just say…that is not hot. Plastic is somehow always haunting us. Whether it’s the guy at the deli who just insists you take the plastic bag or the emergency iced coffee that you just couldn't prepare for, plastic waste happens to all of us. Instead of getting down on yourself (because we all do it), we made a helpful susty swaps resource so that you can be better prepared for the next time the plastic monster comes your way.
According to the Plastic Free Foundation, the top four plastics are plastic bags, plastic water bottles, to-go coffee cups, and plastic straws. In addition to the top four, other common landfill waste include cotton swabs, wet wipes, sanitary items, cutlery, plastic wraps, plastic baggies, and aluminum and tin cans. Although not all of these appear to be plastic waste, they often contain hidden plastic materials such as coatings, which add to our landfills and our greenhouse gas emissions. This list might feel overwhelming, but we did our best to break down the basics. Our swaps include both DIY or low-impact solutions that you already have access to, as well as long-lasting products from sustainable brands that you can invest in.
1. Plastic Bags
Re-use them! For those plastic bags that have unfortunately made their way into your home regardless of how hard you have tried, don't worry! Use those bags until the very end of their life as trash can liners ( you can re-use them by emptying smaller trash cans into larger ones), use them as protection for fragile packaging, keep them for emergencies, or even use them for pet poo.
Use what you have! Before we jump to getting new cute bags from your favorite gift shop, let’s look around the house. Chances are you already have a tote bag or old paper bags in perfect condition lying around somewhere. And you can get creative too! We love reusing our Girlfriend Collective pouches as produce bags and those leftover Target bags for groceries. And if you want to have fun with it, you can try making your own bags with leftover fabric from old clothes or pillowcases too.
Invest & replace with… There are tons of great brands making reusable bags and utilizing recycled or sustainable materials. Some of our favorites include Baggu, Room Shop, and Big Bud Press.
2. Plastic Sandwich Bags
Susty Swap 1: Re-Use them! Okay, so you still have a box of those good ol’ Ziplocs… no worries. You can reuse them to the end of life by washing them and drying them out for more uses, or even throw them in your dishwasher. Keep them around to pack your risky travel toiletries or use them for easy organization in your junk drawer. Whatever you do… don't throw them away just yet!
Susty Swap 2: Use what you have! Once you’ve finally run out of your baggies, it’s time to get creative. We like to use fabric or napkins as snack holders. You can wrap your food in your recycled fabrics and tie the corners of your fabric together to keep everything intact. Recycled parchment paper is another good option for wrapping up your food to carry with you on the go. And you can always substitute a reusable food container in replace of a baggie as well.
Susty Swap 3: Invest & replace with… If you are not set yet with the resusables that you have at home, then you're in luck, because some great silicone baggie brands are making zero-waste lunch more fun than ever before. Our favorites include Stasher, W&P, and Marley’s Monsters. Alternatively, Compostic makes great compostable sandwich bags that you can throw on your compost pile when you’re done.
3. Single-Use Water Bottles
Susty Swap 1: Re-Use them! We get it, buying a bev is one of the simplest pleasures in life, and sometimes that means that you end up with yet another plastic or glass bottle. Fortunately, you can reuse that bottle as a water bottle for quite a long time. Say you end up with a plastic water bottle on a hot summer day; refill it with water and use it as your water bottle, keep it in your freezer to use as an ice pack, or keep them to use for plant propagation.
Susty Swap 2: Use what you have! Before you go out and buy a new fancy schmancy water bottle, look around your house. Those glass jars from your kombucha habit, the mason jars that stored your grandma's granola, and even the leftover jar of peanut butter you just washed out can all be used as water bottles. As long as it can hold water, and has a leakproof cap, you have yourself a reusable water bottle!
Susty Swap 3: Invest & replace with… You can find water bottles from tons of outdoor brands, small-batch artists, and even your favorite local coffee shop. If you are looking for something especially long-lasting, we recommend brands like Klean Kanteen or the Biodegradable Biker Bottle from Goldune!
4. Coffee cups
Susty Swap 1: Re-Use them! Because many paper coffee cups are lined in wax, they can’t be recycled. And those pesky lids are made of single-use plastic that can be difficult to recycle as well. There aren’t a ton of easy uses for those wasted items, but we like to use paper products as artistic material (your coffee cup comes with a cute stamp or logo? Save it for an art project!), and you can use your cups to grow seeds for your garden as well.
Susty Swap 2: Use what you have! If you are tired of getting new paper or plastic cups every time you need a midday pick-me-up, then start by hunting for cups around your house. If you are an iced coffee connoisseur, we recommend reusing your old jars (Any jar will do, but nut butter, jam, and mason jars often come in 8 or 12oz sizes— ideal for your coffee fix!). If you are still in your hot coffee era, then consider bringing your own ceramic mugs or asking your barista for one. Often, coffee shops have ceramics available if you ask! If you want your hot coffee to go, you can DIY a hot drink holder with felted wool, crocheted yarn, or recycled fabric (cut the toes of an old sock and TA-DA!).
Susty Swap 3: Invest & replace with… If you are looking for a tumbler or mug that you can use forever and ever, here are our susty recs: Fellow, Coy Collection Tumbler, Of the Earth Mugs.
5. Plastic Straws
Susty Swap 1: Re-Use them! Okay, don’t go too crazy here: those plastic straws do have a limit because they can trap a lot of germs. However, you can wash them in your dishwasher or with a small straw cleaner to reuse them in your at-home smoothies or as stir sticks. Check out this article for even more creative ideas for using those straws!
Susty Swap 2: Use what you have! Okay, so if you don't have any straws around, there are a few things that can take on the same role. However, we want to ask…how often do you need a straw? Sometimes, opting for sipping your drink or asking for your iced bev with no top and no straw is the best option!
Susty Swap 3: Invest & replace with… Maybe you’re thinking, “No SB, you don’t understand, I literally cannot live without a straw.” To which we say, “Okay, here are our favorite susty straw swaps: Wiggly Glass Straw, Cocktail Straw, Wide Silicone Straw.” (Of course, for people with certain disabilities or medical conditions, plastic straws are essential lifelines. We know it’s important for these to still be available in public places, so let’s be mindful not to die on the plastic straw hill! There are many other ways to be susty baddies.)
6. Cutlery
Susty Swap 1: Re-Use them! Sometimes you just forget to say “Please no silverware!” And sometimes even when you do, the plastic spoon still ends up in your Uber Eats order. It happens to the best of us! Fortunately, those plastic silverware items are not going anywhere. You can literally use them until they physically break. So keep your cutlery around for using and reusing at the park, the beach, or on the go. You can even use them to hold up your new growing plants or stick them in the garden to mark your seeds.
Susty Swap 2: Use what you have! We get it, those cute little bamboo travel-sized cutlery sets are so fricken cute, but instead of buying something new, consider grabbing a set from your silverware at home to bring around with you. Maybe that random fork and spoon that doesn't match any of the other ones, or that chopstick set that you have no idea who gave you. Whatever it is it will make the perfect to-go set. If you need a place to store them, you can use a lone sock, sew your case with leftover fabric, or use an old sunglasses case to tuck them away.
Susty Swap 3: Invest & replace with… We understand, sometimes the incentive comes from having the cute little cutlery set to pull out in front of your friends. (What? You don't want to pull your fork out of an old sock on your next hot date? Fine.) Here are our favorite reusable cutlery sets: Bamboo Set, This set for a party, and Porter Utensil Set.
7. Food wrap
Susty Swap 1: Re-Use them! Whether it’s foil, parchment paper, or even plastic wrap, we recommend trying your best to save the material for as long as possible. It might require being extra careful when you unwrap your food or giving your wraps a quick and thorough cleaning, but there is more life to these products. Your plastic wrap can be used to wrap the stems of bananas and keep them fresher longer, and you can also use the wrap to cover freezer foods to prevent freezer burn.
Susty Swap 2: Use what you have! Surprisingly, many of our household items can be used as food wraps. Covering a bowl with a fabric napkin and securing it with a rubber band is an easy option, or you can turn this into an easy sewing project. You can also make beeswax wraps at home too!
Susty Swap 3: Invest & replace with… If you aren’t ready to enter your crafty era, here are our favorite food wrap and food cover replacements: Meli Wraps, Bowl and Pan Covers, Food Huggers.
8. Take Out Food Containers
Susty Swap 1: Re-Use them! Next time you get take-out or end up with a plastic food container, don’t throw it away! Those leftover containers are durable enough to be reused again and again. And you can even try bringing your containers to your favorite take-out spots; they may be willing to put your food in your containers!
Susty Swap 2: Use what you have! Jars or food containers from your grocery run can be used to store your leftovers or carry your on-the-go meals. We love reusing plastic containers from yogurt or jars from pre-made sauces. You can pretty much turn anything into a reusable container with enough cleaning and preparation.
Susty Swap 3: Invest & replace with… There are also tons of susty brands making durable food containers that you can bring with you on the go or store your food in your fridge and pantry. Here are the ones we love: U Konserve stainless steel products, Porter Fridge set, and these Takenaka Bento Boxes.
9. Cotton Swabs & Wipes
Susty Swap 2: Use what you have! You can make reusable wipes and cotton pads using old materials that you have. Making rounds out of recycled fabrics is an easy sewing project, but you can also just cut out pieces of fabric to use as simple face wipes and tissues. Or, just use your own *clean* hands! This saves you from wasting product anyways.
Susty Swap 3: Invest & replace with… If you are girl-bossing too hard these days and can’t find the time to DIY your cotton rounds, face wipes, and cotton swabs, then don’t worry susty brands have got you covered. Here are our recs: Sustainable Bath and Body Kit, Reusable Cotton Swab.
10. Sanitary Items
Susty Swap 2: Use what you have! It can be hard to use what you have when it comes to sanitary products because most are designed to be free of toxins and germs. For wipes or paper towels, you can always use washable fabric. We also like using bandanas as tissues or napkins on the go. For period and sexual wellness products, opting for susty alternatives is your safest option!
Susty Swap 3: Invest & replace with… Check out our previous article on susty sexual wellness swaps and DIY ideas. As for period care, look out for menstrual cups and reusable pads as safe zero-waste alternatives. Keep your eyes peeled for an in-depth period care article coming soon!
Cleaning Supplies: We already have a series of great resources for susty cleaning supplies swaps. Our spring cleaning article is stacked with susty swaps and DIY ideas for every level of sustainable baddie! Instead of rewriting them here, check them out for yourself!
Tell us in the comments: what are your fav sustainable swap ideas and products?