Set Up an Eco Kitchen
Ditch the plastic wrap and single-use items and set yourself up for lower-waste cooking with these clever, planet-friendly tools.
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Trade in Your City-Collected Compost for: Vitamix FoodCycler FC-50
This genius machine transforms your food scraps into dried compost, eliminating the need to send it out to a compost center. Each batch takes from three to six hours, and you can then take it right from the machine to your garden. It requires a little bit of space, but it’s easy to use and very quiet. The best part? You never have to clean it, making it super low maintenance. $400.
Trade in Plastic Containers for: U-Konserve Round Nesting Trio (Set of 3)
Stainless steel containers abound, but what we loved about this set in particular were the clear silicone lids, which means you can actually see what’s stored inside. This trio is durable, dishwasher-safe and leak-proof — in fact, our assistant editor put them through the ringer carrying curries across town, so we can assure you that your goodies won’t spill out during transport. $32.
Trade in Plastic Wrap for: Bee’s Wrap Variety Starter Pack
Once you have a set of these reusable food wrappers, you can ditch the plastic wrap for good. This starter pack comes with seven pieces in a variety of sizes. Plus we adore the pretty patterns they come in! $42.
Trade in Plastic Straws for: Keychainable Telescopic Straw
Glass straws are great for home use, but you can’t transport them without the risk of breaking. Enter Net Zero’s portable stainless steel straw with a protective case and keychain ring so it goes where you go. $13.
Trade in Single-Use Plastic Bags for: Junes the Everyday Tote in BioKnit
This stylish tote may not look like a climate warrior, but big change can come in small packages. The bag folds up small, so you can stash it in your pocket or purse, but it holds up to 40 pounds — more than you need for a typical farmers’ market haul. When it wears out, mail it back to the company to recycle and get a coupon code to apply to your next purchase. $36.
Trade in Paper Towels for: Paperless Towels
These handmade cotton towels are surprisingly absorbent — we used them several times back-to-back in our testing to dry dishes, wipe the counter tops and more. They come in bleached, unbleached and organic cotton varieties. $18.