[Awaken]

I am new to this particular forum so probably this has already been discussed ad nauseum!

Little by little I am trying to phase out disposable products, to save money and decrease our environmental impact.

I just ran out of paper towels and was about to buy more but thought maybe I'd just try to do without and use old cloth diapers, etc for rags/towels instead. They are awfully handy for cleaning up after my potty-training ds, dogs, and for getting the bathroom mirrors clean!

I also use a lot of Gladware containers and ziploc bags for food storage, freezing, for ds to to take snacks and meals to school/daycare, for dh to take leftovers to work for his lunches, for storing homemade baby food, and for packaging meals that I provide for other people. Of course I wash all the bags and plastic containers and re use them a million times, I don't throw them away after one use! How can I get around using these? Esp. for ds and dh's lunches and snacks? I can use glass containers for leftovers in the fridge, but I can't send that to school and work with them! I do have some glass babyfood jars that I re-use for baby food, but not enough for freezing all the baby's food.

Also, if you're using glass to store in the fridge, what do you cover it with? I also just ran out of plastic wrap and am trying not to buy more. I'm using foil for now but is that just as wasteful? (and is there harm in foil like there is with too much plastic?)

If you cook in bulk, what do you freeze all the meals in?

I try to use cut up fleece blankets instead of baby wipes as often as possible.

I re use and recycle plastic and paper grocery bags as much as I can remember and use them as our trash bags and diaper bags.

I guess there isn't any way around using so much toilet paper and tissues?? (and I don't think I'm ready to start using hankies or composting our own waste yet! Although we may get there!)

Any other ideas on how I can reduce, or ways you've made this more convenient in your home?

Thanks!

 

[fek&fuzz]

I don't use papers towels. But the key to this is having a ton of dishclothes that you keep in a basket handy for grabbing when needed, and are able to rotate them frequently. Nothing worse than funky dishtowels.

I also keep some smaller clothes for cleaning up messier things and sometimes gross things that I then put in the wash right away.

I tried to use pieces of flannel as hankies when I had a bad cold, but my nose ended up horribly red so it was back to the Puffs Plus for me.

I'm trying to start using cloth menstrual pads, since I've started sewing cloth diapers for my niece and get jealous of all the soft fleece and velour, so I've made some pads out of the scraps.

I still use plastic storage containers. But can you cover the glass containers with a small plate? Maybe cover with a damp towel and then a plate?

 

[MamaRabbit]

It would be a waste of money to throw away what's already being used. Once gone, there are other items you can make or buy that will work. Remember seeing the pictures of people wrapping their sandwiches in cloth?

Instead of plastic wrap, I use a big piece of cloth or a towel and use a big rubber band to hold it on.

I still store most of my bulk in tupperward in the fridge but am phasing it out and putting in glass bottles.

"I guess there isn't any way around using so much toilet paper and tissues?? (and I don't think I'm ready to start using hankies or composting our own waste yet! Although we may get there!)"
There are some people here who make and use cloth TP... it's on my list of things to do!

 

[sweetpeas]

Paper towels - I bought a bunch of cheap washcloths & keep them in a basket by the sink in the kitchen. I still have paper towels that I use when I make candles (to clean up the wax, I can't send it down the drain), but finally have even dh trained to grab a washcloth instead for normal kitchen clean ups.

For small leftovers I'll often put them in a cereal bowl & use a small plate to cover it (this may not be true of all dishes, but for my Correlle they're a perfect fit). I do use alot of the saran wrap "shower caps" to cover other things, but I re-use them over & over (which doesn't worry me because they're not touching the food itself), I do rinse them off between uses. You can also store things in jars, just save peanut butter jars, etc. when you empty them, that way you have a lid. Both saran & aluminum foil I try to keep from touching the food but as long as it's not touching it, I don't worry about it from a safety perspective. Foil can be used & re-used especially if you just have to rinse it off between uses. But yes, I do use plastic containers still as well. For freezing things, I freeze in glass, etc. But then once stuff is frozen I pop things out & put them in ziplock freezer bags & re-freeze. Again, I can re-use the ziplocks & this is by far the most space & money effective way since I tend to make 2 anytime I make a casserole & freeze one. Makes for easy meals later

If you want to get away from plastic in lunches, some people have gotten the "to go ware" from klean kanteen or I think asian markets often have something similar, but I haven't looked into it.

I got string bags from ecobags that I use instead of getting plastic/paper bags in stores whenever I think about it. I love that they hold a LOT and compress down to nothing so I can just always have several in my bag & not have to remember to specifically bring "grocery bags" in with me.

When my girls potty trained I started using the cloth wipes we'd used w/ cloth diapers to wipe them after they peed. Then it occured to me that I could use them for me too. I resisted the idea of cloth TP for a long time because I didn't want to deal w/ the poop & knew dh would rebel, then it somehow finally clicked that we could use paper for poop & cloth for pee. Which means it doesn't affect dh & keeps the wash routine super easy. I have a small trash can w/ a wet bag liner in each bathroom & a basket of wipes next to each, the girls & I use the wipes when we pee. It was great during early potty training when they were peeing every 5 minutes AND when they were first starting to wipe themselves, they would've used a whole roll of paper each time if given the choice (& I'm WAY too cheap to buy those toddler wipe things) the wipes mean they just grab one & use it, no knowing how big a piece to break off

I do about one load a week. I run the cloth tp (we also use these wipes to wipe our noses, but we don't have many colds, it's mostly just needing to blow girls' noses after they throw a tantrum or get hurt & cry) & the washcloths we use instead of paper towels through a soak cycle w/ baking soda, then add our bath towels & such & then run it all through a hot wash/cold rinse, extra rinse, hot dryer.

Next time I order from Frontier I think I'm going to get some of the hankettes hankies that someone here recommended to have on hand for winter cold season. I also have cloth that I keep meaning to serge so we have some "pretty" cloth napkins but so far we've just been using the same "paper towel" wipes.

 

[quantumleap]

This is only sort of related, but I had to post because I have been alternately laughing and stewing about this. My mil and fil were here visiting for just under a week recently. We try to avoid paper and plastic in our house, so, we use cloth for both tp and nose blowing, have a few sets of light-weigh camping utensils, etc. So, everytime I came home while mil was here, she would pull out a new "present". "I noticed you didn't have any kleenex, so I bought you some", she said one day. I wondered what she thought the big basket of cloth squares on the back of the toilet were, but figured I would just say thanks and move on. The next thing I know, we have a stack of paper napkins (I didn't even use paper napkins in childhood!), several rolls of paper towel, a new set of that glad tupperware stuff, and a MASSIVE bag of plastic cutlery (for travelling and camping, she tells me). So, part of me thinks this is hilarious, and another part of me is quite frustrated. What am I supposed to do with all this stuff? We never use it, and now it is taking up a fair bit of space in our tiny living space, but I feel too guilty about throwing it out!
Also, wanted to add that glass jars tend to accumulate (spagetti sauce and honey are big ones for us), and work really well as food storage in the fridge or freezer. You can also find large mason jars cheaply in various places. Mason jars are quite sturdy, and I would send a child to school with food in one. I would certainly send my husband to work with food in glass - I do actually! One investment I would definitely recommend making is a decent bottle brush though; cleaning out all those jars with a cloth can result in smushed hands and frustration! Also, wax paper is generally considered a more environmentally friendly wrapper than plastic wrap or aluminum foil. It works really well around sandwiches, just think back to how the coffee shop wraps up your bagel (fold edges together and then ends folded under, if that makes sense).
I don't remember making a conscious decision to cut out paper or plastic, but I seemed to make little steps, and then the mil issue made me realize that we have actually managed to cut out a lot of paper and plastic. We do still have some things I would like to cut out though, like non-stick cookware and plastic packaging from the bulk food store. I haven't gotten my mind around those ones quite yet.

Happy waste-reducing.

Katia

 

[Awaken]

Thanks for all the great tips, everyone!

You are right, the key really will be to have tons of dish towels and rags around. I don't have too many right now, and it gets so frustrating when I need some and they're all in the wash. We have so many old t shirts and blankets I could just cut up (esp. for spills and potty training accidents). And I'm sure I could get lots of dish towels from a thrift store.

re: TP- great point- we could just use the cloth for pee- which, since I am the only girl in the house, would not mean using much at all!

Also, I hadn't even thought of re-using the glass spaghetti sauce jars, etc. I recycle so many of those. And I have seen tons of mason jars at the thrift shop, I can get a bunch of those. I think I will still have to send ds with the gladware and ziplocs b/c he is only 3 and I can't trust him or his buddies with glass jars! I will look into that kleen kanteen as well. I don't have enough little plates and bowls to store food in, but I can find them used and cheap I'm sure.

Thanks for the ideas!

 

[sweetpeas]

Katia, freecycle the paper goods or donate to a soup kitchen or similar, that way they'll be put to use & won't be taking up room in your house (but maybe keep a token few of each to set out next time your ILs are there so they don't go buy more?

Dish cloths, discount stores & overstock stores tend to have huge packages of plain white (or assorted colors all mixed together) washcloths for really cheap.

Mason jars, I see offers of mason jars come through on freecycle ALL the time, the ones I've gotten from freecycle haven't come w/ lids but you can buy lids at a discount store really cheaply.

Awhile back I saw someone suggest using small tin boxes for kids' snacks & such. Last time I was in Target I saw small tin boxes (like a "lunchbox" only smaller) in their dollar section. Those would work in place of ziplocks for snacks & such, probably wouldn't work for juicy things though.

I would also think that for things like sandwiches & such you could just wrap them in fabric. I'm thinking something w/ some substance, like twill that would absorb any "leaks" and keep it all contained. Then just wash them.

 

[**guest**]

Be careful about using metal containers that will come in direct contact with food. It's best to use stainless steel for that. (which means those that cost $1 are not going to be stainless). You really have to worry about lead in some metals.
I'll see if i can find a link to the asian stainless steel lunch 'tins'.

 

[**guest**]

http://http://cgi.ebay.com/Stainless-Steel-18-10-3tier-Tiffin-Box-food-carrier-14c_W0QQitemZ130016929817QQihZ003QQcategoryZ87134Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
You can use a Tiffin Carrier or even a Bento box. It's hard to find the wood bento boxes though and I don't know if they make stainless Bento boxes.

I've been searching for about 1/2 hr. LOL.

 

[SoggyGranolaMomma]

We've gone to cloth pads. cloth dipes, I've been using old washcloths for washing counters etc instead of PTs. I wouldn't mind "family cloth" TP but I don't know how receptive hubby would be to that.

I'm looking into how to get rid of all the plastic food storage I have too. I think for leftover you could just put wax paper over the container and secure it with a rubber band.

For freezing stuff, freezer paper and paper tape would work right? Pyrex containers come with plastic lids that theoretically don't come in contact with the food.

They do make wax paper bags for sandwiches and small snacks to use for kid (or grownup)lunches.

I'm thinking of storing my flour and other bulk baking items in lidded baskets with cloth or paper liners.

I'm still looking for ideas!!

 

[Ruthla]

You can probably get more glass baby food jars from freecycle- I'm sure there are families in your area who buy baby food and either toss or recycle the jars, and wouldn't mind saving a week's worth for you to pick up.

I'd stick with plastic containers for sending a child's lunch- maybe eventually get some nice stainless steel containers for DH. You can get cloth lunch bags and I imagine that small cloth drawstring (or snap or velcro) bags would work for snacks such as pretzels or cookies.

 

[daisymommy]

Something I've noticed that I thought was very cool:

The Martha Stewart glass storage set which is very similar to Pyrex, from Kmart (I dispise that store, but will go there for certain MS things)--has plastic lids on them with a #7 "other" recycling lable on them. From what I have read, #7 "other" means it is NOT polycarbonate plastic, but something containing vegetable or plant derivatives, often corn, soy, etc. If thats the case with these, I am certainly buying more! I think I'll call them today and report back here.

 

[chel]

if you look long enough, corningware sells sets with both plastic and glass lids. I use those for cooking and storing.
I still use plastic containers for lunches.
wash clothes are great for the kitchen. we use them for napkins when it's just family. for guest we have several bandanas from HobbyLobby. we have seasonal themes and dd uses kids themes for her lunchbox (on sale they are around $1)

 

[**guest**]

Pampered Chef sells glass containers with plastic lids. They come in a set. They are so very wonderful! (and I'm not just saying that because I sell Pampered Chef. LOL. It's one of most bought items in the catalog.

 

[jemar]

What about ice cube trays? Is aluminum safe if I want to phase out plastic?

 

[Talon's Mom]

For DH's lunches that have a sandwich I use these:

http://www.reusablebags.com/store/wrapnmat-p-2.html

They are great, I just wash them in the sink after he comes home at night and if they get really funky I just throw them in the washer.

I also pack them when DS goes with us out to eat because they make a great fold out clean space for him to pick up finger food.

 

[SaraMama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Talon's Mom For DH's lunches that have a sandwich I use these: http://www.reusablebags.com/store/wrapnmat-p-2.html

I'd love to see one of those IRL!

Do you think I could make some of those using PUL, the water-proof diaper fabric? I thought I'd use a double layer with the soft side out and the plastic sides facing in towards each other.

 

[Talon's Mom]

I definitley think you could make them! I have used them with small sandwiches and with really really thick ones. (I'm talking big rolls, thick tomatoes) The velcro is generous for different sizes. DH says the sandwiches are fresh, that was the one thing I was worried about- that air would get in and the bread would get hard/stale.
I would like to make them myself but I have no sewing skills.

 

[Piercedboy]

My wife just took all our old and worn clothes and turned them into wonderfull cloth napkins and paper towel sized wipes, and got a lot of questioning looks when she started, but we wouldn't go back now. Its so much better and easier than disposables!

 

[momaste]

We're doing this right now. I just switched to cloth diapers for the baby, and am moving over to cloth napkins and dishtowels instead of paper towels. I ordered a Diva cup, so no more disposable feminine hygeine products. I'm toying with the idea of cloth TP, but haven't committed yet.