Home and Kitchen Accessories: Smart Alternatives to Plastic Containers

For many decades, plastic containers have been such a staple item in most households. Nevertheless, as people become more eco-conscious, they now start to veer away from plastic materials. Apart from being non-biodegradable, plastic also contains toxins like BPA (Bisphenol-A) that are recognized to be human carcinogens.

Fortunately, there are numerous, smart alternatives to plastic tins that you can use in your daily life. These practical substitutes will keep you and your family healthy, while contributing to a green living, earth-friendly lifestyle. Find out some of them below:

Cardboard - A lot of people use plastic containers for different home storage purposes, such as books, clothes, etc. Sadly, manufacturing these products is extremely harmful to the environment. It requires huge amounts of energy to produce, which as a consequence, increases carbon emission. Go for cardboard products like legal boxes or liquor boxes, which are excellent options for storing books and clothes. For smaller stuff like art materials, you can even use shoeboxes. These cardboard products are certified green, biodegradable, recyclable, reusable, and renewable.

Glass - Glassware containers are great choices for storing food items, and can even sometimes double as useful cooking tools. For sauces, jams, salsas, sandwich spreads, and liquid leftovers, you can use glass jars instead of the usual plastic food storage. There are also many glass solutions for microwave, oven, refrigerator, and freezer use. Many of these are even made from recycled glass, and come in various colors and designs.

Bamboo - Bamboo is one of the fastest plants to proliferate, with only 3-5 years growth cycle. Highly sustainable, it doesn't require replanting, and grows without pesticides or fertilizers. Bamboo has been extensively used all over Asia as a raw material for many goods. There are numerous handcrafted bamboo storage jars available on the market today, which makes bamboo such a natural choice to store sugar, salt, spices and other goodies. Not to mention, it's strong, efficient, and elegant.

Stainless Steel - Stainless steel is perhaps the most durable and stylish of all other plastic alternatives. It is very resilient to rust and damage, odor-free, sleek, and of course, 100% planet-friendly. In fact, stainless steel is deemed to be the world's most recycled metal. Many stainless steel food containers are also ideal for any food-to-go, such as latch tiffins. Using these stainless tins, you can conveniently bring lunch to school, office, or at picnics in effortless style, without worrying about messy spills or food contamination. They are eye-catching, hygienic, and leave a very minimal amount of carbon footprint. Plus, you can even use these stainless steel containers to hold small items like office supplies, sewing items, and other knick-knacks.

As we rapidly experience the ill effects of climate change, it's just sensible to be more conscious of the several ways we can help save the earth. And what better time than now to take some conscientious action in caring for Mother Nature! Consider these clever plastic alternatives above and it would surely be a good start to practice green living.

About the Author

Fia is a planet enthusiast and green writer at
Happy Tiffin
. Practical, Earth-Friendly, and Stylishly Hip!