Eco-Friendly Household Products: Alternatives To Disposables

If you’re trying to run a greener household, one of the easiest changes to make it the replacement of disposable items with reusable ones. Plenty of the items around your home could just end up in landfills, but if you’re interested in healthy organic living you can instead use items that will last longer without contributing to pollution and becoming part of the waste that’s just piling up out there. Here are some of the top tips from Organic Restaurants on how to make your home a bit more sustainable.

Paper Towels and Napkins

If you really tallied up how many paper towels and napkins your family goes through, you would probably be shocked. Replacing these disposable paper products with cloth napkins can make a big difference. We also recommend using cloth dish rags around the kitchen more in place of paper towels. They are reusable, easy to clean, and can do a paper towel’s job better than a paper towel can. What’s not to like?

Sandwich Bags

If you have kids you’re probably going through a lot of sandwich bags. It seems unavoidable since they need their lunch after all, but there is a reusable alternative. Reusable fabric sandwich bags exist. There are tutorials online for how you can make your own or you can simply buy them. Either way, you’re helping cut down on landfill waste while still keeping your family’s meals fresh.

Tissues

If you go through a lot of tissues come allergy season, think seriously about replacing those paper products with reusable handkerchiefs. These are easy to clean and environmentally friendly. As an added bonus, some come in quite stylish patterns and colors. Instead of constantly using tissues and filling up the garbage can with them, just carry around a handkerchief or two.

Plastic Straws

Some people prefer to drink through a straw, especially for cold drinks like smoothies, but we all know by now how bad plastic straws can be for the environment. Instead of using those, go out and purchase a few stainless steel straws. They don’t fall apart like some of the more maligned paper ones will, and they’re easy to clean. You’ll get a lot of use out of them and reduce your household waste.

Water Bottles

We’ve all been told that bottled water is purer and better for us than tap water, but those plastic bottles are certainly not good for the environment. They contain chemicals like BPA and can end up sitting in landfills when they’re disposed of improperly. Instead purchase some reusable water bottles that you can take with you to the gym, the office, or anywhere else. You’ll notice a huge difference in how much waste your home is creating when you drop the bottled water like a bad habit.

Plastic Bags

This is an easy switch to make. Stop stockpiling more plastic bags every time you go to the grocery store and pick up a few reusable cloth or canvas shopping bags instead.

For More Sustainable Lifestyle Tips

As you continue to try and make your home a greener one, keep an eye on the Organic Restaurants blog for more ideas about sustainable living!