My New Year’s Resolution: #DitchThePlastic
2 Minute Read.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve shared different ideas about lowering your waste. Today, I’m going to make a pledge of my own: Starting January 1st, I will track every plastic bottle, bag, straw and utensil I use for the entire year.
My goal is to create an awareness about the plastic I use, and in turn, avoid it by having reusable alternatives on-hand. To keep myself accountable, I will have a tracker on the Mama Eco website that is updated regularly. Follow along! And maybe we can have a friendly competition and encourage each other along the way 🙂
Here are the essentials that will keep me in line:
Reusable Water Bottle:
(for hydration on-the-go)
Reusable Bag:
(for grocery runs and unexpected purchases)
Reusable Straw & Utensil:
(for lunch at work and snack time)
FYI: these items barely add weight to my bag & they don’t take up much space either!
I honestly don’t know that I’ll ever be able to fit every piece of trash I create into a single mason jar. And even though there are some zero wasters out there who can, I’m not sure that’s realistic for me. Decreasing your waste is a gradual process, and I think it’s important to make your own goals.
So let’s shoot for progress not perfection. By simply tweaking the way we do things, I truly believe we can reduce our environmental impact on the planet.a
What’s a good replacement for saran wrap?
Hey Yarin, my personal favorite is a silicone lid, which you can get in several different sizes. You can use them to cover bowls, tupperware or other containers as they stretch to fit the container you have. Cleaning them is also really easy (just wash them as you would wash a dish). I got a set of silicone lids in my local kitchen store, but Amazon has a great option, which comes with several different sizes and is very affordable, especially considering that you won’t have to buy refills. Another option is a Beeswax wrap, which is essentially a piece of cotton soaked in beeswax. It has the same functionality as the silicone lid, but it also has the ability to wrap up blocks of cheese, uneaten baguettes, and fruits and veggies. The only negative of the beeswax wraps is they don’t do well with food that’s still warm as it makes the wraps sticky. I’ve included the links for both of those options above. I hope that helps!