We often find ourselves having conversations with people who are wanting to head towards a low waste lifestyle but just aren’t sure where to start. Our approach to reducing your waste is by taking one step at a time. It’s completely admirable to go 100% Zero Waste like Lauren Singer or Bea Johnson but that’s a BIG jump to make for your first step.
By making that change one step at a time, the change to your busy, chaotic everyday life is minimal and you’ll look back in a few short months and be amazed how easily you’ve adopted a low-waste lifestyle.
This is why we advocate making simple swaps that won’t cost the earth (in fact they might save you some cash) and will in fact make a bigger positive impact than you think.
Coffee cups and drink bottles have received plenty of attention (hands up who watched the ABC’s War on Waste! 🙋♀️) but let’s dig a little deeper. We’ve come up with our top 5 eco friendly product swaps that will help you to swap out the single use plastic and step into your low waste journey.
Organic Cotton Produce Bags
You’re already taking your reusable shopping bags to the supermarket so tucking your reusable produce bags into the bag stash is a simple step.
Firstly, when shopping for your fresh produce steer clear of anything that is packaged. You are on the hunt for loose fruit and veggies. This way you get to choose the quantity you need and aren’t paying for anything you’re going to struggle to eat whilst it’s still fresh. Once you’ve made your selections pop them into our Organic Cotton Produce Bags for safe travels home.
Single use plastic is so common with fresh produce and when you quickly do the maths it’s astonishing how much plastic you can save going to landfill just by switching to these bags.
Our Organic Cotton Produce Bags are $24.95 for a set of five which come in three different sizes and can hold up to 5kg. As they’re made out of organic cotton they’re fully machine washable and are fully compostable.
Organic Cotton Bread Bags
This is a great swap to eliminate not only the plastic bags but those pesky plastic bread tags (we know they can be recycled but reusing is a much better option).
So, next time you’re heading out to the bakery for some fresh bread, rolls or croissants slip one of our Organic Cotton Bread Bags into your bag.
Not only will they eliminate the need for waste from all those plastic bags, tags and even those single use paper bags but the cotton bags are breathable eliminating slightly damp, sweaty bread forever.
Big enough to fit most loaves (including high tin) our Organic Cotton Bread Bags are just $10.95 and super easy to care for with a simple shakeout between loaves and a cold hand wash as needed.
Silicone Baking Mats
Let’s be honest, this is our favourite eco friendly product. Baking paper has been taken off the shopping list!! Instead we use these baking mats. We tend to keep a couple for baking cookies, cakes and cheese on toast and a couple for roast veggies and meat. We smash them everyday!
They’re made out of high quality FSA silicone; they're safe, durable and can be used in temperatures up to 220 degrees. Happy to be laid flat on a tray or placed in a cake tin (yes! They’re bendy and flexible enough to fit into tins).
And we saved the best for last - no more scrubbing the trays. Just pop the mats into the dishwasher or quickly hand wash.
Our Silicone Baking Mats are just $18.95 each and come in three colours - may we suggest getting one colour for baking and one for roasting?
Already Spotted Some Easy Swaps? Get them here.
Silicone Food Covers
Here’s your chance to make cling wrap a thing of the past. With these reusable Silicone Food Covers you can keep your food fresh time and time again. They’re air-tight, leak proof, dishwasher safe and can be used with a warm container (when packing leftovers) or even directly on the food - remember those half used oranges leftover from morning tea?
They come in a set of 6 with a size to fit all your needs - from covering a half used can of tuna or covering the salad bowl.
Cleansing Bars
A lot of eco friendly products are centred around the kitchen but there are many swaps that can be made in the bathroom too.
Back before plastic bottles, there were soap bars - remember those days?
Purchasing a bar rather than a bottle is a much more eco friendly option with the reduction of yet another single use plastic bottle entering your house. Also,our cleansing bars are handmade in Melbourne so not only are you doing your bit for the environment but you’re supporting another local small business as well as our own!
Made with Goats Milk to be gentle on sensitive skin, our Cleansing Bars transform your morning shower into a de-stress moment with essential oils and heavenly fragrances like ‘Lime and Coconut’ or ‘Clementine’. At only $24.95 for three bars you’ll be set for all the bathrooms in your home, for the gym bag or as a lovely gift for a friend.
With a few simple swaps you can set yourself up on your low waste journey. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you can reduce the amount of waste going to landfill or soft plastic recycling by investing in these eco friendly products.