What are the Best Alternatives to Single-Use Plastics in the Kitchen? | Gear Heads



From plastic wrap to zipper-lock baggies, we all got a little used to single-use plastics in the kitchen. But now, there are so many reusable alternatives, and Hannah and Lisa are here to tell you about their favorites.

Buy Abeego beeswax wrap:
Buy Lilypad lid:
Buy OXO 5 piece reusable straw set:
Buy silicone reusable straws:
Buy our Rubbermaid plastic food storage containers:
Buy OXO glass food storage containers:
Buy stand-up reusable food storage bags:
Buy reusable produce bags:
Buy plastic bag and bottle drying rack:

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46 Comments

  1. I Clearly NO want carrying straw when go out,
    but I think it's okay carrying TUMBLER when go out.

    Its funny seen this vid when straw paper tried pierce the plastik lid,
    I think that fill in that plastik glass can go into tumbler in the first place,
    So people easy to sip! And may be a good place to put glass straw in the tumbler there !

    I still think plastic straw still can go to use alternatif like straw made from paper, straw from straw grass, straw from cocunut leaf, straw from Cassava etc
    Sweet drink can ruin the front dental, straw help sweet drink pass the front dental !

    Yes, Think to this problem must be review in the future!
    Cause many product alternatif may have better solution in the future

  2. the glass vs plastic contain bit – I may have missed it – but she didn't mention that the plastic can leach into foods – even cold foods – and right non-BPA – do you understand what companies do? they stop using the exact BPA plastic and use a different and almost the same chemical composition of plastic – so sure – no BPA – but some other chemical that will do almost the same things to our bodies.

  3. I love my Abeego Beeswax Wraps. They are the best in the market. I've been using them for years. They do last a long time with proper care and washing. Wash with cold water, dish soap and cloth or sponge. Do not use hot water or anything abrasive. I have all the sizes and love that they are flexible for different shaped foods from herbs, greens, avocadoes, lemons, tomatoes, cucumber and cheese. I have a couple silicone lids that I use infrequently as I use glass storage containers most times which I can stack. I find the silicone lids suit dishes or containers that do not stack.

  4. I save cereal bags to store pre-chopped veggies and roasts that are cut for stew meat or smaller roasts (cooking for 2 now). They also work very well for pounding meat, or for coating meat with seasonings. Sometimes food comes in plastic ziplock type bags from the grocery store. I clean these and label them with freezer tape listing the contents (rice, freeze dried fruit, dried fruit, granola, croutons, & shredded cheese come in these bags). Anything I put raw meat in is one time use. I also save produce bags from the store to use the next time I visit, sometimes they don’t even need to be rinsed to be reused.

  5. I think this topic needs to be revisited regularly because there are always new products coming onto the market and newer concerns. For instance, right now, I'm all concerned about microplastics so bpa-free or not, I would still rather go for glass all the way. Also, I wish someone would come up with an easier way to wash/clean these wax/ silicon/ reusable grocery bags.

  6. Some sandwich meat is now sold in the cheap, reusable Ziploc / Takealongs style, i.e. the ones you buy for the holidays so people can take leftovers home, without giving away your proper containers.

    I love these so much! The box/lid isn't much more plastic than the traditional awful blister packs or resealable bags. You don't have to buy these containers separately anymore, and
    the container itself is the perfect size for the sandwich you're making!

  7. Especially since the corporations are not using their big bucks and people power to resolve issues of environmental toxins and garbage, I agree and support environmentally conscious people.

    However, I wanted to say that something better, something super ultimate is in our futures with NESARA and all. NESARA, amongst other things, provides for releasing suppressed great technologies which we will benefit from. To address the environment and many more things, is the replicator.

    Does anyone know what quantum synchronization is? Or, has anyone seen the YT videos on the synchronization of metronomes on a table? Well, both deal with the idea that, as Tesla said, everything is energy, frequency, and vibration.

    Two or more different frequencies will eventually synchronize with each other. It's just a law of physics. Also, the concept of "matter," is a total illusion, reality is still based on energy and it's frequencies. We can't punch our fist through a "solid" wall, only because the electrical bonds of the atoms in the wall act as little electric fences. And, we don't have nerves to feel electricity on that level, because then we would go nuts from constantly being zapped by the electricity of our own bodies from before birth, even.

    So … what replicators do, is, based on sophisticated knowledge of the exact atomic components of, say, a loaf of bread …. a replicator can project a real holographic loaf of bread, perfect in detail down to the atomic level, and keep that projection placed on a rock, say ….. and then ….. the frequencies of the atoms in the rock eventually WILL synchronize to the frequencies of the bread. It works exactly like that, and then, voila, a rock is transformed into a piece of bread!!! And, I surmise that if the rock contains more energy (matter?) than the bread, then the replicator will store it, so that it can be used later to turn a small object into a larger object. This stuff is very real. The physics are so simple at their core, just holography (we can DIY holography at home), and frequency synchronization, plus knowledge of the details of the atom.

    We will have replicators in the future, which will transform landfills and deserts into lush forests and gardens. And, etc., replicators are powerful change makers.

    So, I support the conscientiousness of caring for the environment, but, I'm here to say that our future is not doom and gloom in any way, we have great, great, great things to look forward to. Besides replicators, there are many more suppressed technologies that we will also use, and we're entering a quantum era, which means that consciousness is involved, and by that I mean good consciousness, not bad.

  8. This is a fantastic video.

    I have a couple of the flat silicone lids – they really work well. Tried the stretchy ones and found exactly the same thing! Way to hard to use. I haven't had much success with the beeswax wraps though. The ones I have had have either been way too sticky or way too stiff. Not a fan at all. I prefer using the glass containers such as the ones you suggested to store food in the fridge.

    The other thing I do is keep the glass jars and bottles I buy with food in them such as jam, sauces, honey, mollases etc. Soak the label and store food in them. Some lids might be a bit dodgy as they have a strong flavour that is hard to remove so I put them in the recycling. However I keep all the lids that are odour free, recycle the jars that aren't a useful size and so usually have more lids than jars. Lids only come if a few sizes and types so it is usually possible to match up jars to lids.

    I'm 68 and I always wash my plastic bags – reuse some and recycle others by placing in the supermarket soft plastic recycling bin. My mother taught me well as I remember her washing and drying her plastic bags even way back when I was very young! We peg them on the clothes line or inside on the clothes horse.

    I also ALWAYS use the produce bags and you can make your own from net curtain fabric. I always take my own bags to the grocery stores and markets.

    Love your segment. Thanks for a terrific Youtube channel!

  9. Why don't restaurants go back to paper straws like they had before plastic? This is where most of the plastic straws come from. I also save & reuse over & over many times glass jars with their lids & since I don't have to buy these they are the best economical way to store in.

  10. Comment about the silicon bags.

    Most are actually vinyl, rezip ones I believe are too. Which melts at like 100f so don't put even warm foods in them. The dishwasher warps them so they don't close anymore.

    I recommend the Stasher or Ikea ones, the real silicon ones. Or just use glass or plastic tubs no need for a baggie really.

  11. So beeswax cloth for $6.00 a sheet that washed well for 10 uses. So basically 60cents for a 18” plastic replacement. Then what happens to the fabric? How does that compare to a 120 feet well known brand of plastic wrap – cost wise ?

  12. I often wash and reuse zip-lock type plastic bags, especially if I used it to store fruit or vegetables. I hide the fact that I do it for not to be made fun of. I thought I was the only one who did this, I now feel vindicated.

  13. I been looking into silicone reusable bags but they are so expensive and some reviews say after a while it can rip and make it ineffective.

    I still use single use bags for meal prep and store in freezer and if it busts it’s no biggie because only a few cents wasted but it still wasteful.

  14. I have mostly Tupperware , I have several of the Rubbermade B containers and my hubby takes them to work and they have lasted years and still look great , glass and him don’t play well together 😆.

  15. Would love to see a replacement for Ziploc meat freezing/sous vide bags as no one can guarantee reliability of sterilization of the bags for reuse. I feel if silicon can be used for Ziploc like bags that can be vacuum sealed yet be reusable and easy to sterilize.

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