(upbeat music)
- Hey Munchies, welcome to the channel if you're new.
I'm Alyssia and I'm so excited you're here.
We're tackling a hot topic today, plastic waste.
Everyone is loving to rag on people who waste plastic,
especially on social media, and I do get it.
It is irritating how much plastic
we waste especially with food products.
But what bugs me is people are so quick to attack others
yet they provide no solutions.
Stop using plastic.
Okay well then what do I do?
Glass jars aren't the answer to everything.
So I decided to figure it out.
What do I do instead of plastic?
And I am sharing some of the alternatives
that I found with you today.
This video is not sponsored, no one paid me
or even sent me these for free.
I bought them all myself and I will say,
it is not cheap to go plastic free.
So, check your privilege card before hating on someone,
especially someone you don't know on the internet.
I do get that you're trying to make the world
a better place, that's great but I also believe
that most people are doing the best they can.
Moving on, I am not partial to any of these brands here.
I honestly went by reviews when researching
but I am going to tell you what I actually think
as we go through this and I have included a PDF
with links to all of these products
if you do wanna try any of them out for yourselves.
I will say, it was a bit irritating that almost
all of these came wrapped in like a yard of plastic.
Oh the irony.
Okay first up I wanted to tackle plastic bags.
Ziploc baggy, so convenient but obviously
not doing anything good for the planet.
I have a few options here.
These silicone food bags, which I shared
in a previous video, are probably my favorite because
you can throw 'em in the dishwasher so they're easy to use.
The truth is a lot of plastic alternatives are so much work
and this day and age, we all want convenience.
So it is important that I find a balance of both
if I actually want it to be sustainable and not just
try it for a week and then quit.
These I would use for like sandwiches or snacks.
I also have these larger food storage stasher bags
which are also silicone and great for storage
but it's cool because you can also sous vide style
cook them, meaning they can go straight into boiling water.
It can withstand high temperatures
as well as the microwave, dishwasher et cetera
which makes them very convenient.
The downside of course is the cost.
This one bag was almost 20 dollars
and the small one is over 10 dollars.
Somethings gotta give.
They are supposed to last a long time
but I haven't tried any of these products long term yet
so I can't say how they hold up.
Some people say that the crevices are hard to clean
so if you do try them out, be diligent and make sure
that no gunk is left or else you'll end up
with no plasticless bags and lost money.
Next is this reusable wrap.
It has a protective aluminum layer,
it's made of natural cellulose fiber
and is phthalate, BPA and PVC free.
You can wrap up sandwiches, snacks or produce
and it's easy to clean because it's
water resistant so you can really wipe it down
or rinse it out and let it dry.
I guess this is more of a foil or plastic wrap substitute.
I will say it is irritating that it came wrapped in plastic.
And that is another thing I just want to whine about,
why are toys still packaged with so much plastic.
People love to hate on food packaged
for convenience in plastic but are still buying
kids' toys with plastic packaging, check yourself.
This item does seem to clean more
easily and will hopefully hold up.
It was around 10 dollars which is more affordable
than some alternatives but remember,
if you want multiple, it will add up.
Another plastic wrap alternatives are these bees wax wraps.
I shared these in a previous video,
I have been trying to use them for the last
few months, you can use them to wrap up
sandwiches, fruit or cover bowls.
It is made of bees wax so there's
a bit waxy feeling obviously.
It's supposedly sustainably
harvested bees wax but who can know.
These are also very expensive.
A pack of three can be around 15 to 20 dollars
and to be honest, I like the idea
of these more than I actually like them.
Maybe I am just not patient enough but they
just don't hold that well or close that easily.
They do have many options online
so you can get different patterns.
This is probably the most prevalent plastic wrap
substitute I found but I don't think it's the easiest.
I also got some silicone stretch lids
to reseal food in bowls or jars.
These are more affordable, I got a six pack for 11 dollars
and I think that they're more functional too.
Instead of plastic wrap, they're easy to put on leftovers
or even half of a large melon or fruit.
The different sizes are helpful and, like most
of these other products, they are
BPA and phthalate free, non toxic et cetera.
They can also go in the freezer or microwave
and I think this is probably the most practical item
that I can easily integrate into my lifestyle right now
without feeling I'm making a huge compromise.
As I was brainstorming this video, I was thinking,
where do I use plastic now that I
could perhaps find an alternative?
And one thing that came up was trash bags.
To be honest, it was not easy to find an alternative.
Well, scratch that, eco friendly options
exist but they aren't very handy.
Most of the bags don't have drawstrings that I'm used to,
some include twist ties but, come on, that is not convenient
and some don't have any tie at all.
Also, biodegradable bags are great in theory,
unless they start to break down while your trash
is still in them which many of the reviews
for different brands noted to happen.
This brand had better reviews.
So far, so good.
No ties unfortunately and I will say that,
so many reviews said this too for all these kinds of bags,
but the 13 gallon bag are definitely not 13 gallon.
They don't fit the trash can like my regular plastic ones
so that is an irritating adjustment.
Also, during my trash bag hunt,
I found a lot of companies trying to sell you
on their product but not necessarily
actually trying to protect the Earth.
Remember, the company's goal is to sell so,
while they may want to help the Earth,
they also maybe just want to sell it to you because they
know that you wanna buy something that's helping the Earth.
A lot of plastic alternatives I found while researching,
also might be better for the environment relative to plastic
but a lot of the products cause harm
to the environment in their development.
For instance, some are made of plants or sugar cane
and the farming uses up a lot of resources.
Also, many of these are recyclable but not biodegradable.
So, if they get out into the ocean
and a turtle eats it, the turtle is not saved.
Some companies advertise that they are biodegradable but
this is only true in certain very controlled environments.
Maybe it's biodegradable in this room where they tested it,
where they can control the heat and everything
around it but, if it's left on the street,
it is not going to degrade naturally.
My point is not to not get these items but just to be aware,
just because it says made from plants,
doesn't mean it's helping the environment.
I think a better system is trying to get away
from single use products as much as possible.
So, things like trash bags.
Most of us aren't going to completely do away with tomorrow
but, if we can use less items that are ultimately
used once and ultimately thrown like Ziplocs,
water bottles, grocery store bags, silverware et cetera,
then we can do more good than by stressing out
about buying trash bags made from plants.
So items like eco friendly silverware.
Great but sill has to be thrown,
even if it can biodegrade naturally.
It's better to use regular silverware.
Same with straws.
Paper, corn starch, wheat straws
are great but they're single use.
Stainless steel that can be washed and reused
are really more environmentally friendly and less wasteful.
Bamboo straws are another tricky one
because bamboo has a high carbon footprint.
The bamboo is from China not the U.S.
and most of those straws are only about 15% bamboo.
The rest is corn starch and resin,
which is a chemically formed plastic.
Water bottles, we all know by now to
get away from single use bottles.
Find a reusable one that you love
and can refill again and again.
I have a couple of more items.
So I touched on grocery bags and obviously we wanna
be using more of our own reusable items when we can
but this also includes produce bags.
Those produce bags aren't doing the earth
any favors and they're easy to replace.
I bought these on Amazon, 12 dollars
for nine of them in different sizes and they're netted,
durable, BPA free and, most important, reusable.
You can use them for anything not just groceries
but they are great multipurpose bags
that are better for the environment.
You can use these or get other bags
like these cotton sachet bags for bulk bin items too.
Now, if a store carries bulk bin items,
you can often bring your own container.
A bag or a jar, just have the store
take the weight of your container first so that you can
get an accurate price for the amount of the product.
I know that Sprouts for instance, is willing
to do this and does it for me when I go.
And these produce bags can also be used as bulk bin items
and actually include the tare weight on the bag, cool.
Also, in case you didn't know, grocery bags
and produce bags can both be recycled in the bins
out front of most grocery stores but so can Amazon packages.
So those blue and white envelopes that note that
they can be recycled, can be take to that same location.
And those are my plastic alternatives
to share with you today.
At the end of the day, just do your best,
it is expensive to go plastic free but remember, as with
anything, all or nothing is likely not gonna last.
I suggest starting to transition
sustainably so you can gradually use less.
To find a way to keep your lifestyle
going while also helping the environment.
Also worth noting, this evolution of a plastic waste
obsession is really, I hate to say it, a fad.
Not that it isn't accurate or that we shouldn't be thinking
about it and talking about it and finding alternatives
but, just like fashion and diet fads come and go,
even if they are environmentally focused, this will too.
Do your best but for the love of Earth,
stop being mean to people online about it.
Focus on your business and do your best.
You are not the plastic police.
If you wanna try out any of these items, I have linked
them below and in the free PDF that you can download.
If you have other items that you like,
feel free to share them in the comments
because I'm sure anyone else here
watching this video, is interested in more.
I appreciate you being here, I appreciate
your kindness in this community.
I know it is hard to find on YouTube
but I feel really lucky to have you here.
I'll see you next week and remember,
it's all a matter of mind over munch.