The kitchen is one of the most difficult places to reduce our plastic consumption. From cling film to Tupperware, plastic has long played a starring (but problematic) role in our food prep and storage. Thankfully, there are more and more options out there to replace all that single-use plastic with sustainable options that last ages, work just as well and don’t harm the planet. Below are some of my fave plastic-free kitchen swaps. And just remember, before you splash out on a new plastic chopping board, ice cube tray, ice lolly moulds…, try to go for a stainless steel option instead (or in the case of the chopping board — wood), which ages much better and will last forever, unlike plastic which can become brittle and unsightly after a lot of use and then ends up in landfill. Check out the shop page for more options.

An eco-certified, super powerful, allergy-friendly, harmful chemical-free solution, Koh works on tough grease and dirt across floors, surfaces, ovens… This is pretty much the only household cleaner you need. Imagine the space you’d save not having 10 different products, and imagine the space you’d save in your brain too. Please note that this system does include a plastic bottle, but it’s one that is endlessly refillable, so you’re not going through dozens of single-use plastic containers. This spray bottle is specifically designed for the Koh system, so you can’t use any old spray bottle you already have. If you do feel like you want a separate product for each usage, then check out OceanSaver (more on that below).

OCEANSAVER

OceanSaver make handy plastic-free capsules for several house cleaning usages — including a multipurpose cleaner and a kitchen degreaser. These tablets are 100% biodegradable, plant-based, nontoxic and vegan, while working just as well as all those toxic products that come in single-use plastic bottles. A green revolution for your kitchen.

BEE'S WRAP HONEYCOMB REUSABLE SANDWICH WRAP

With a beeswax wrap, you’ll never have to buy cling film again. Made from organic cotton, treated with sustainable organic jojoba oil and tree resin, this wrap is fully biodegradable and compostable and can work to cover a dish of food, folded around a sandwich or moulded around an unused vegetable half. Please check the instructions for how to use these carefully — they’re not recommended for raw meats, for example. You also can’t wash them in very hot water or with soap suds, which melts off and erodes the beeswax rendering it useless. Don’t forget that simply stacking a plate on top of a bowl is an age-old way of saving leftovers or compartmentalising what’s in your fridge. If your fridge is quite high up, try using lighter and less breakable bamboo plates — the kind used for picnics (or use the melamine kind if that’s what you have in stock) — which avoids the fridge having several layers of heavy ceramics. If the beeswax won’t work for you, try this vegan swap.

ECO ROCK BIODEGRADABLE COCONUT KITCHEN SCOURERS

These biodegradable, plastic-free coconut scourers come in recyclable packaging and work wonders on those crusty food bits in your pots and pans without damaging them. I’ve seen these in several formats, including the flat ones above and round ones like these that have longer fibres. This is a product I bought a year ago as a two-pack and they’re still working hard for me today — with just a bit of water, they clean up my stainless steel pans brilliantly even when they’re stained and burnt. I also love these coconut scourer donuts for my cast-iron cookware, because they remove the dirt without the need for detergents which would otherwise remove my hardworking nonstick surface. There are also bottle brushes — scroll down for more on those.

ECOLUNCHBOX SEAL CUP TRIO

One concern when switching from plastic food containers to plastic-free is the potential for leakage, especially if using them as your on-the-go lunchbox. This ocean-friendly set of round boxes is both plastic-free and leak-proof, so you don’t have to worry about getting salad dressing all over your wallet and keys (makes me shudder just to think of it!!!). They are made from steel and silicone and will keep your food safely in the fridge too, if you’ve not got many places to get to these days.

ECOBEES REUSABLE BAMBOO KITCHEN ROLL

Ordinary kitchen roll may not contain plastic (if you discount the wrapper), but it is needlessly wasteful, using up resources which are in less and less supply. These reusable “paper” towels come in zero plastic packaging and are machine-washable up to 2,000 times. Made from bamboo, which is far more renewable than regular paper, the sheets are strong, absorbent and will not rip.

ECOCOCONUT MULTIPURPOSE BOTTLE BRUSH

Another coconut-based scourer brand, EcoCoconut makes three different handy formats so you can reach all those nooks and crannies. This bottle brush is particularly useful for those water bottles, smoothie beakers and narrow glasses, and is plastic-free, antibacterial, biodegradable and sustainable.

MISSION: PLASTIC-FREE KITCHEN