Easy eco-friendly swaps

Hey everyone!

I am very interested in sustainability, as I have mentioned before, and I have tried to implement some changes in our house to practice what I preach in the low impact movement. Now, I am far from living the perfect eco-life, and there is still loads I can do to help the environment but by slowly introducing eco-friendly habits and swaps into my family, they become a new normal. I encourage you to try out these alternative products and become more eco-conscious! 

I have linked different websites to buy these products so you can easily purchase these eco-friendly items and implement them in your routine. Just click on the website's name underneath the product. Most of these products are readily available on Amazon for my international readers so I have included those links, but for us South Africans, we have to find more creative means of sourcing these products so I have included local websites as well. 

Silicone baking mats

Instead of using miles and miles of baking paper or getting oily hands while greasing your baking dish, simply roll out these silicone baking mats in your tray and get cooking! These are reusable, washable mats that you can use to line any baking dish, pan or tray to ensure that your yummy food does not stick.

You can get this product on Amazon, Yuppichef or Takealot.

 Mesh grocery bags

Use these mesh bags to hold your loose fruit and vegetables instead of using the single-use plastic bags available at supermarkets. They usually have a drawstring top which will allow you to tie a knot to keep the produce secure and the barcode sticker still sticks on these bags, so don't fret! These bags can also be used as sieves for fruit pulp when making juice or pulp from making homemade dairy-free milk and can be thrown in the washing machine afterwards. 

You can get this product on Amazon, Faithful to Nature, Takealot and Pick n Pay. They can also be found in-store at Pick n Pay with the fruit and veg.

Fruit & veggie containers

Now you can use any container, but sometimes half an onion just doesn't fit in a square Tupperware container and ClingWrap is so last season. To store our leftover onions, peppers and lemons in the fridge, we use a special plastic container that clips closed to keep air out and odours in, and that is easily washable and reusable. Amazon and Takealot also have these products called food huggers, which look so awesome. They are essentially silicone "lids" that mould to fit the open part of the vegetable or fruit to keep them fresh for longer.

Food huggers are available on Amazon and Takealot.
The avocado container can be found on Amazon and Yuppiechef.
An onion/pepper container is available on Takealot and Amazon.

Reusable straws

Single-use plastic straws are just not cool anymore, but luckily there are so many alternatives made of silicone, stainless steel, glass, pasta and bamboo. Just take these along in your bag or even pocket (like the bendy silicone straw) when you head off to restaurants and refuse a plastic straw before you have even received your drink because sometimes the straws are already unwrapped. And even if you forget your straw, drinking out of the glass is perfectly fine so still refuse the straw. I have only linked straws that come with a cleaner so you don't need to go searching for them separately.

Stainless Steel straws found on Amazon and Takealot.
Glass straws found on Amazon, Faithful to Nature and Yuppiechef.
Bamboo straws found on Amazon, Yuppiechef and Faithful to Nature.
Silicone straws found on Amazon, Yuppiechef, Faithful to Nature and Takealot.

Beeswax wraps 

Instead of using ClingWrap or wax wrap to wrap sandwiches, try out beeswax wraps. They are self-sticking which means they can stick to themselves to keep food fresh and containers airtight. Simply mould the fabric to fit the item and the heat of your hands will allow the fabric to stick to itself.

They can be found on Amazon, Faithful to Nature and Yuppiechef. 

Silicone cupcake liners

Need cupcake liners? Why not use silicone ones? You can also buy silicone cupcake pans so you don't need to grease a whole pan. All you need to do is wash them after each use and they are as good as new! They also come in fun colours which can spice up your cupcakes!

Silicone cupcake liners found on Amazon, Takealot and Yuppiechef.
Silicone cupcake pans available at Pick n Pay, Amazon and Takealot.

Bowl covers

Either replace ClingWrap with 'food huggers' or silicone stretchy bowl lids. Silicone lids fit the top of both round and rectangular containers and can be microwaved and washed in the dishwasher which makes them incredibly easy to use.

These silicone lids are available on Amazon, Takealot and Yuppiechef. (There are slightly more options available on Takealot and some of them are cheaper than Yuppichef but I linked both so you can decide)

I hope that you enjoy trying out these alternatives and let me know in the comments which ones you like. I couldn't fit everything in this post so Part 2 of these eco-friendly swaps is coming soon!