choosing reusable over disposable products

[Just]

The 1.5L bottles are pretty unwieldy. I'd suggest maybe multiple 1L bottles in an Ego or Super Ego bag (since those have two water bottle holders) for on the go... the 1.5L is more of a "office" bottle or even a "home" bottle... unless you have some other way to securely carry it.

[gmich]

Thanks for starting this link, Maverick. Lots of good ideas and some products I was unfamiliar with. Has anybody tried these Wrap-N-Mat reusable sandwich wraps? I'm looking for a replacement for plastic sandwich bags for kids' school lunches.

[Heidi Jill]

I haven't tried them, but they look like a great idea! If I carried a sandwich every day, I'd definitely get a couple! Have you tried wax paper bags? Much better than plastic (as long as everything stays dry) IMHO. I also have a couple stainless steel containers with snap on lids for carrying snacks.

I've been on a huge kick to get plastics out of my life. I try not to buy anything in a plastic jar (easier said than done, but if you look really hard you can still find peanut butter and mayo in glass jars). I don't buy plastic wrap anymore - I use aluminum foil or freezer paper, both of which can be recycled if clean.

We use maybe one roll of paper towels every 6 months (and I buy the cool brown towels made from recycled paper). Just about anything you'd mindlessly grab a paper towel for, you can do with a cloth towel. I do still use the paper for really yucky cleanups (like if the chicken package leaks or the coffee maker goes berserk and spits up all over the counter!)

I really have fun looking for new ways to use less.

[pretzelb]

I really have fun looking for new ways to use less.

One thing I miss about the time I spent in Seattle was all the brewpubs in the area. You can buy a reusable jug (called a growler) and get refills with the jug. Glass can be recycled but better yet to reuse right?

Back where I grew up there still is a local soda company in this old barn that is probably over 50 years old now. They have their own bottle machine right there and you pull up with your empties and they take them back. I don't drink much soda these days but it's funny how an old fashion approach like that is now "hip". I wish you could get milk delivered in glass jugs or at least had the option to go get refills.

[maverick]

i picked up a 1L bottle from sigg and like it very much. it fits perfectly in the buzz! thanks to all who suggested it!

[pretzelb]

i picked up a 1L bottle from sigg and like it very much. it fits perfectly in the buzz! thanks to all who suggested it!

I was going to get a Sigg but it then dawned on me the irony of reuse when throwing away a Nalgene for a Sigg. I read the articles on the health issues and most I found seemed to say there was no real danger. If my Nalgene breaks I'll look into the Sigg. But I may replace the Nalgene I use for the dog though - yea, she gets better care than me.

[Darcy]

because we reuse those shopping bags as garbage bags to throw our (mostly recyclable) trash away in.

I have a friend who uses plastic shopping bags as garbage bags. Ikea makes a cool little garbage can system one can install in a cabinet that is sized perfectly for those bags.

All of this reminds me of an experience I had in Las Vegas: I went to a trade show in Las Vegas recently and was surprised by how little recycling seemed to be going on there, at least where I was. I was also surprised at how hard it was to find a good restaurant (admittedly I didn't look too hard and stayed close to the convention center -- I'm sure there are really good restaurants that I didn't find.) I ended up at a tiny Taqueria where they served the food and drinks in styrofoam containers. Even if you were eating in the Taqueria. Scary!!

[maverick]

I have a friend who uses plastic shopping bags as garbage bags. Ikea makes a cool little garbage can system one can install in a cabinet that is sized perfectly for those bags.

All of this reminds me of an experience I had in Las Vegas: I went to a trade show in Las Vegas recently and was surprised by how little recycling seemed to be going on there, at least where I was. I was also surprised at how hard it was to find a good restaurant (admittedly I didn't look too hard and stayed close to the convention center -- I'm sure there are really good restaurants that I didn't find.) I ended up at a tiny Taqueria where they served the food and drinks in styrofoam containers. Even if you were eating in the Taqueria. Scary!!

Hey Darcy,

If you happen into Las Vegas again, there is a wonderful vegan restaurant that serves meals prepared with raw foods called Go Raw Cafe. This was my first experience at a raw foods restaurant and I was very pleased.

Go Raw Cafe is located on a lake in the suburbs, about 15 minutes from the strip.

It's been a while, but from I remember, we had the sushi, the vege-coti, and some other dish that isn't coming to mind now. Everything we had was very good!

[Darcy]

If you happen into Las Vegas again, there is a wonderful vegan restaurant that serves meals prepared with raw foods called Go Raw Cafe. This was my first experience at a raw foods restaurant and I was very pleased.

I can't believe I missed that. Thanks for the tip: I'll definitely check it out next time.

Speaking of vegan food, I recently had a pesto sandwich at a vegan restaurant that was amazing: the pesto was walnut/cilantro. I'd never thought of making pesto with walnuts and cilantro.

[PM4HIRE]

If you are in a new city and want to checkout resturants,
then click http://www.chowhound.com/ and have at it.
This website recently changed ownership and had a
makeover.

Also, click http://www.healthyhighways.com/ for more
info when on the road.

[Darcy]

If you are in a new city and want to checkout resturants,
then click http://www.chowhound.com/ and have at it.
This website recently changed ownership and had a
makeover.

Also, click http://www.healthyhighways.com/ for more
info when on the road.

Thanks: I think those sites will be useful for some upcoming trips.

[dorayme]

Why has this thread died? There is so much good information here and that could be shared here. I love it! Our household has been doing so many of these things for so long I rarely think anything of it until I read posts like this.

We haven't bought paper towels in our home for over 5 years. One day I decided to switch to cloth and we have used up the few rolls I had very sporadically when something was too messy to pitch a cloth towel for.
We used Elimination Communication in combination with cloth diapers for our children from birth.

I used reusable personal care items for myself until this year when I had surgery and no longer need them.
I use small organic cotton crochet and knit facial pads vs. cotton rounds in the bathroom, just chuck them into a mesh bag for washing.
I have used reuseable shopping bags for grocery and other shopping since dh and I were married over 11 years ago. I doubt I will have to buy them as frequently as I have in the past after I finish transitioning to Shop Bags. After searching for many moons I just scored 2 Utility Totes, w00t!!!
We use cloth napkins instead of paper and rarely use plastic utensils or cups.
I do use the thin paper plates when I am under the weather because it makes cleanup easier for our family of 5, but that is rare and we compost them into our garden compost.
I use small crochet and knit kitchen scrubbies vs. sponges (same as my face cloths, easy to wash and keep sanitary and clean).
We use Kleen Kanteen and Lifefactory glass bottles for cold beverage transport. I have a Cuisinart insulated stainless steel coffee cup and hand thrown stoneware for hot beverages (I'm the only one who drinks them).
We use glass containers in our home for juice and leftovers, but I love the idea above of bringing your own take home container to a restaurant. I never thought of that one before.
I pack lunch for our family when we go to outings for our home school or otherwise. I have a picnic sized insulated basket and bento style containers for each of us for sandwiches, soup, leftovers, or whatever I choose to pack.
we use cfl's in our light fixtures
I won't buy an appliance unless it's energy star, high efficiency, or lower consumption. I wish my house was set up for lp and solar but it's not. That will be a consideration for future homes.
Most of my kids toys were and are from sustainable wood, or handmade, though for my sons we have branched into lego and that's a never ending pit of ABS.
We shop quite a bit at thrift stores, resale, consignment and garage sales as well and find things to reuse that we need / value and other's no longer do. I cannot begin to describe the bargains we have found for our family this way!

Since it's been a few years, I can only imagine that there are tons of new ideas that could be shared in this thread. Please forum, don't let it die!

[backpack]

While our family is small, just the 2 of us and our 3 goldfish girls since our beloved cat passed away, we have been on the green bandwagon for many years.

We have been using: grocery store size plastic bags for garbage, it limits the size of throwaway items that we buy; green light bulbs, recycling services and centers, stopped the purchase of magazines and newspapers in favor of e-news reading; switched to green paper towels and have limited their use in favor of cloth kitchen towels; green cleaning products.

Old travel bags have been converted to grocery shopping holder, perfect for non perishable staples.

Discount store clothes which do not quite fit have been given away to non-profits resale stores, books that are not reference or cherished tomes found their way to libraries.

Clothes shopping is minimal, we both hate it and do our best to catch sales.

My husband even gave away our cat carrier(s), cat size, bigger size (for vet trips) and airplane size as well as all the emergency cat food and a cat fountain to a non profit cat rescue.


I have to admit our fascination for electronics and my attraction to fountain pens, cotton yarn and Tom Bihn Inc bags.


I need to look at solar chargers, thanks for the reminder Dorayme!


Ooops forgot! Trying our best to buy made in America or other decent work condition country only.

[Lani]

what are some habits you've adopted that help the environment?

what products have you used that you can recommend?

I carry my own utensils with me so I don't use plastic forks and whatnot when I dine out.

My boss actually gave me a "To-Go Ware" bamboo utensil kit with fork, spoon, knife, and a pair of chopsticks. It's pretty good, although I already had a collapsible pair of chopsticks and a Spork (which I really love). I usually tuck them in my purse.

Also, the fitness center at work has these great towels... they're white, thin, and smaller than your typical bath towel. I guess people call them gym towels (not the tiny towels but ones you can sit on to do stretches, etc.)? Anyway, we had them order a couple extra dozen when they made a big bulk order, and we use those as our towels at home. I know some people are really attached to the thick plush humongous towels, but they are such resource hogs. Our towels are smaller, and we can really pack 'em in in the washing machine. They also dry much faster than a big bath towel.

[Jenne]

For some reason, we don't generate as much trash as the other people around us. This past week, we didn't even fill the kitchen garbage, let alone have anything in our curb container. (It bugs me that our curbside recycling container is so much smaller than our rubbish container.)

We compost kitchen scraps and use reusable everything. (We do keep paper towels on hand for when our dogs have upset stomachs, but other than that, we use cloth for almost everything.)

We've also been broke since our move to Texas, so that has REALLY limited eating out and convenience foods, which helps reduce our trash.

I keep a titanium spork in my purse (Imago or Cafe Bag) and when I'm treating myself to coffee out, I bring a reusable mug.

ETA: Lani, I love your site! I practically memorized it when I was first serious about one bag travel.