Want to use less plastic? Here’s how. Photo by Issy Croker
Trying to reduce the amount of plastic that comes into your home? Author Anna Jones shares a few easy and eco-friendly changes to make.
In her cookbook One: Pot, Pan, Planet: A Greener Way to Cook for You and Your Family, author Anna Jones shares flavorful, plant-based recipes focused on seasonal produce, plus smart tips on saving money and reducing waste. Here, find a few clever ways to use less plastic in the kitchen.
How to Live With Less Plastic
1) Buy in bulk
Whenever you can, purchase dry goods and spices in bulk, but make sure you’re being realistic about the amounts; overbuying and waste are not the aims here. Use old glass jars to store grains, lentils, nuts, and seeds instead of buying plastic ones. If you can take the jars with you to the shop and fill them there, all the better.
2) Replace plastic wrap with beeswax
Health food stores and bulk shops sell beeswax wrap; it’s also easy to find online. It works well for covering cheese, sandwiches, and bowls and is a great alternative to plastic wrap. Reusable zip-lock bags are also now available and are much better options than throwaway bags.
3) Bottle your water
Keep glass bottles to fill with tap water and store in the fridge instead of purchasing single-use plastic ones. You can use a cheap charcoal filter in the bottle to make the water taste better. If you buy a lot of bottles of sparkling water, consider a SodaStream to carbonate your own drinking water.
4) Use glass storage containers
If you have plastic containers at home, replace them with glass when they wear out. Glass is a safer material since plastic can taint food. Also consider enamel pots that can go from the oven to the fridge. A bowl covered with a plate is another eco option.
From One: Pot, Pan, Planet by Anna Jones. Copyright © 2021 by Anna Jones. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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