Plastic diet means replacing plastic in your home and everyday life with more environmentally friendly and safer alternatives that are better for both your health and the environment. It means reducing the plastic in your surroundings and also cutting down on your plastic consumption.
Where do I start?
Putting your home on a plastic diet doesn't happen in a day; it's a process that you need to take at your own pace. Most people start their plastic diet in the kitchen. This is because plastic and heat are a bad combination as plastic releases the most toxins when heated. In the kitchen, you can replace plastic with better alternatives such as stainless steel, glass, bamboo, organic cotton, linen, and wood.
Things that are good to replace in the kitchen
We also give you examples of better alternatives, and most of them can be purchased from us at Glimja.
Plastic kitchen utensils -> Kitchen utensils made of wood, bamboo, and stainless steel.
Plastic cutting boards -> Cutting boards made of bamboo.
Plastic bags and plastic wrap -> Bee's Wrap, Abeego, fabric bags, and mesh bags made of organic cotton.
Plastic food containers -> Food containers made of stainless steel or glass.
Plastic mixing bowls -> Mixing bowls made of stainless steel or glass.
Plastic measuring cups -> Equivalents made of stainless steel.
Non-stick Teflon pans -> Cast iron or stainless steel pans.
Plastic storage containers -> Stainless steel storage containers.
Plastic drinking glasses, plates, and cutlery -> Drinking glasses, plates, and cutlery made of glass, stainless steel, bamboo, and wood.
Coffee filters -> Cloth coffee filters made of organic cotton or compostable FSC-certified paper coffee filters.
Plastic straws -> Straws made of stainless steel, bamboo, or glass.
Plastic dishwashing gloves -> Dishwashing gloves made of natural rubber.
Plastic dishcloths -> Dishcloths made of linen or organic cotton.
Plastic dishbrushes -> Wooden dishware tools with natural bristles.
Plastic washing and scrubbing sponges -> Washing sponges made of more environmentally friendly materials and scrubbing sponges made of coconut fiber
Plastic oven and baking pans -> Equivalents made of stainless steel or glass.
Plastic water bottles and pitchers -> Water bottles and pitchers made of stainless steel or glass.
Plastic trays -> Trays and serving platters made of bamboo.
When you've finished putting your kitchen on a plastic diet, many people continue with the nursery, bathroom, and the rest of the household.
How do I avoid single-use plastic products?
It's very easy to avoid single-use plastic products when traveling or in town, for example when shopping and eating. Single-use plastic products are a major environmental hazard, and most plastic never makes it to recycling but ends up in nature and in our oceans, where it harms both wildlife and the environment.
Bring a cloth bag or mesh bag when shopping for loose fruits and vegetables.
Make it a habit to always carry your own water bottle or coffee mug made of stainless steel or glass, making it easy to drink water and coffee without plastic. It works just as well to bring your own bottle or mug if you know you'll be buying drinks at a café or restaurant.
Lunch or snacks can easily be carried in a food container or food thermos made of stainless steel or glass. There are many smart solutions for different meals, such as compartmentalized food containers, insulated ones that keep food warm or cold, leak-proof containers, sauce jars, and options in various sizes from small to large and tall to short. All to help you find one or more food containers that suit your needs.
If you enjoy drinking your beverages with straws, it's smart to carry your own straw in your bag. It might seem like an unnecessary detail, but millions of straws are thrown away every day worldwide.
Instead of plastic cutlery, you can bring your own cutlery made of stainless steel or bamboo.
Hidden plastic traps you don't think about - Canned food: The inside of most cans is coated with a layer of bisphenol A. However, there are brands that have cans without bisphenol A, e.g. Kung Markatta. Tetra Pak is also a good alternative if you want to avoid bisphenol-coated cans.
Lids on jam jars and baby food jars Water kettles: Water kettles are often made of plastic or have a plastic interior. Plastic and heat are not a good combination as plastic releases harmful substances at high temperatures.
Shower curtains: Shower curtains are often made of the harmful plastic PVC. Soft PVC contains phthalates which are a type of plasticizer; some phthalates are hormone-disrupting and hazardous to health (source Kemi.se). PVC is made from vinyl chloride which is carcinogenic (source Swedish Society for Nature Conservation).
Skincare: Skincare products can contain microplastics. Avoid products that have ingredients such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polymethyl methacrylate, and nylon (source Swedish Society for Nature Conservation). If you see these ingredients, you know that your skincare product contains plastic. Wastewater treatment plants cannot handle these microplastics, and they end up in the oceans where they harm fish and other marine animals. None of the body care products we sell at Glimja contain plastic!
Remember!
Do not heat plastic food containers in the microwave as heated plastic releases more chemicals into food than cold plastic. Do not serve hot or warm drinks in plastic cups.
Original post written by Sara Mårtensson, founder of Lapland Eco Store which has been part of Glimja since 2021.
