• Home
  • About
  • Blog
    • Animals
    • Books and Documentaries
    • Coasts and Estuaries
    • Forest
    • Freshwater
    • Home and Garden
    • Human Impacts
    • Ocean
    • Plants
  • Contact

Ferns and Fantails

Helping everyone understand the Science behind our biggest environmental problems and how you can help make a change

You are here: Home / Home and Garden / Ready to Go Plastic-Free? 5 Simple Kitchen Swaps

Home and Garden, Human Impacts, Ocean · 7 September 2025

Ready to Go Plastic-Free? 5 Simple Kitchen Swaps

What’s the Problem?

We’ve all heard the facts: plastic pollution is a huge problem for our health and the planet. We’re also familiar with the “reduce, reuse, and recycle” mantra. While most of us do our best to recycle, we often overlook the most powerful steps toward a plastic-free life: reducing and reusing our plastic consumption.

Recycling is a problem because only about 9% of plastic is actually recycled. I was shocked to learn that, especially after all my efforts to recycle every week.

With over 400 million tonnes of plastic produced annually, an alarming 11 million tonnes end up in our lakes, rivers, and oceans each year. That’s like dumping 2,000 waste trucks full of plastic into our aquatic ecosystems every single day. Plastic also contains thousands of chemicals, including small microplastics, which can have negative health impacts like endocrine disruption, developmental and carcinogenic effects.

These facts can feel daunting, but you have the power to create a healthier planet for yourself, your family, your pets, and the environment. But it’s easy to start today, in the heart of your home- your kitchen!  

Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon affiliate links, which means I earn a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you. I have no affiliation with the other brands mentioned.

Here are 5 simple ways to reduce plastic in your kitchen!

Photo showing a mother and her kids in the kitchen

Reimagine Your Food Wraps

Beeswax wraps and Reusable Produce Covers

I love using beeswax wraps; they are such a cute and customizable way to bring a bit of joy to your lunchbox! When you buy them, look for 100% organic cotton with food-safe and non-toxic dyes (the OEKO-TEX standard is a good one to look for). You can even make your own at home.

Reusable silicone covers are another great option. They can be stretched over bowls, containers, and even cut fruits and vegetables. You can also try reusable cotton food covers and bags as an alternative to plastic wrap.

The Science Behind the Swap

Did you know that beeswax has natural antibacterial properties? This helps keep food fresh for longer by inhibiting the growth of certain bacteria. However, a study found that because beeswax wraps can’t be cleaned fully with hot water (it damages the coating), food residue can get left behind. So, to avoid cross-contamination, it’s best to have separate wraps for different types of food—one for sandwiches, one for veggies, and one for baked goods. When your wrap looks or feels dirty, it’s time to compost it and get a new one.

Actionable Steps

  1. Use up your last roll of plastic wrap.
  2. Order a set of beeswax or silicone wraps.
  3. Start using your plastic-free options and never look back!

Brands

  • Lilybee Beeswax Wraps- Set of 3
  • Ever Eco Reusable Silicone Food Covers Lid (6pk)
  • W&P Reusable Produce Savers, Set of 7
Photo showing sandwiches being wrapped

Embrace Glass and Steel for Storage

Glass is non-porous, so it doesn’t absorb food odours or stains. I love using glass containers for my university meal prep and for storing leftovers. Stainless steel is another fantastic option. I’ve heard amazing reviews about their durability, and many stainless-steel lunchboxes are designed to be easy for kids to open and close.

The Health Benefits of This Switch

Studies have found that putting hot or oily food in single-use plastic containers can cause a high amount of chemical leaching into your food. Containers that contain BPA and phthalates are endocrine disruptors. Which means they can mimic or interfere with hormones like estrogen and testosterone. This can lead to health problems, including childhood obesity, fertility issues, and immune system problems.

Actionable Steps

  1. Start by replacing your plastic containers with glass or stainless steel ones as they wear out.
  2. Get a new stainless-steel lunch box to try out for yourself or your family.
  3. Keep a glass or stainless-steel container in your car or work bag so you can easily get takeaways without the plastic waste.

Brands

  • Planetbox ROVER Stainless Steel Lunchbox
  • Glasslock Rectangle Container Triple Colour Lid 3pc
  • Hydro Flask Food Container Bundle
  • Joseph Joseph Nest Glass Storage
Photo showing glass meal prep

Redefine Clean with Solid Bars

Try out solid dish soap, which gives over 100 washes with just one bar. Or, explore concentrated cleaning tablets made with 100% natural ingredients. They’re safe for your whole family and can be dissolved in a refillable glass bottle for an amazing clean.

Why This Switch Matters

A staggering 84.5 million cleaning product bottles are thrown away in the UK alone each year. What’s even more shocking is that most conventional cleaning products you buy in plastic bottles are just water! So, when you choose these products, you are literally paying for plastic and water.

Beyond the plastic waste, these products can harm your family’s health. The chemicals they contain can expose you and your loved ones to harmful particulate matter in the air. Studies show that using these products at home is connected to the onset of asthma and similar respiratory symptoms, and professional cleaners have an increased risk of developing these conditions.

Actionable Steps

  1. When your current cleaning products run out, recycle the bottle.
  2. Replace it with a glass bottle and a pack of cleaning tablets or a solid dish soap bar.

Brands

  • Ecostore Lemon Dish Soap Bar
  • Good Change Bottle for Good Starter Box
  • Good Change Kitchen Refill Cleaning Tablets
Photos showing soap bars

Switch to Wooden Utensils

Wooden utensils are a beautiful, biodegradable, and gentle alternative to your pots and pans. Bamboo is another amazing choice as it is a fast-growing, renewable resource. You don’t have to replace your whole collection at once—I started with just a wooden spatula for all my cooking.

The Science and Stats Behind the Switch

Plastic utensils are lightweight and affordable, making them a common sight in many kitchens. However, over time, these utensils can wear down and break, which can release microplastics into our food.

Studies show that high temperatures during cooking can increase the release of these microplastics. While research on their direct effects on humans is still developing, animal studies show microplastics can cause cell damage, decreased organ function, and may even increase the risk of tumours.

Actionable Steps

  1. Start by replacing one of your most-used plastic utensils with a wooden or bamboo alternative.

Brands

  • Yom pai Eco-Friendly Wooden Kitchen Utensil Set
  • Yom pai Wooden Kitchen Utensils
  • Caraway Wooden Utensil Set 5
  • KitchenAid Maple Wood Tool Set
Photo showing wooden utensils

Carry Reusable Produce Bags

I love using my reusable mesh and cloth bags for produce from the grocery store. They are lightweight, washable, and durable. The mesh bags also make it easy to see what’s inside. You can even store your produce in the mesh bags in the fridge.

Why This Switch Matters

New Zealand is a trailblazer, having banned single-use plastic produce bags in 2023. This one change has removed 150 million plastic bags from distribution every year—that’s 17,000 plastic bags every single hour!

Plastic pollution also has a devastating impact on our oceans. By 2050, it’s estimated that plastic will outweigh fish in the ocean. This plastic breaks down into microplastics that are ingested by everything from the smallest organisms to majestic whales. When we eat fish, we can also ingest these microplastics that have accumulated over time. One study found that microplastics were present in the guts of 97% of the fish they examined.

Actionable Steps

  1. Keep your reusable shopping bags in your shopping tote bag so you always have them with you.
  2. Keep your tote bags in your car, so you don’t forget.

Brands

  • Ever Eco Produce Bags – 8 Pack
  • Veggie Saver Produce Bag Swag
  • KerKoor Reusable Cotton Mesh Produce Bags- 9 Pack
  • Reusable Produce Bags Organic Cotton Muslin Fabric Set of 6
Photo showing lemons in a reusable bag

Thank you for reading!

I hope this post has inspired you to act. With each small change, you are helping to build a healthier life for your family and a more beautiful world for all the animals who share it with us.

For more tips, check out my recent post about 5 simple swaps to create a plastic-free bathroom.

What’s the first step you’re taking to reduce plastic in your kitchen? Share your plan with our community in the comments below!

Georgia xo

About Georgia

You might also enjoy

Photo of a lavender feild and sunsetSensory Nature: Find Peace & Joy Now
Photo showing a lady walking in the forestBreathe Better, Feel Better: My Walking Hacks!
5 easy ways to create a Bee Friendly Garden
Previous: The Great Insect Decline: How to Help
Next: Breathe Better, Feel Better: My Walking Hacks!

Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Subscribe

Browse

  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact
Design by SkyandStars.co
Back Top

Copyright © 2025. Ferns and Fantails

Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}