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14 Ways to Break Your Plastic Habit

Stop talking about it. Start doing it. Here’s how.
Image may contain Plant Plastic Wrap Animal Seafood Food Sea Life Lobster Produce Vase Potted Plant and Pottery
Photo by Alex Lau

Remember when we all got upset about straws? Unfortunately that’s just the tip of the (rapidly melting) iceberg. Between grocery bags and coffee lids and clamshells from that salad place by the office, we plow through more plastic than we’d like to admit. But we want to do better! And we figured maybe you do too. So we looked in our garbage cans and recycling bins, talked to some experts, and came up with some not-too-depressing, not-too difficult strategies to make a difference.

All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.

  • This image may contain Plant Broccoli Food and Vegetable
    Photo by Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh
    1/14

    A Weekend Without Plastic

    I knew I had a plastics problem. We all do, right? You’ve heard the statistics: one million plastic bottles sold every minute. Eighteen billion pounds of plastic tossed in the ocean each year. But if you’re like me, you’ve shuddered at the stats, then ordered in lo mein and thought, At least I use a tote. This time I wondered, What does my plastics problem actually look like? So for a week I kept every piece of disposable plastic I used while eating or cooking. It was not a small pile. I used so much plastic without realizing it, which means that if I actually thought about it, I knew I could do better. And it means you can too. —Meryl Rothstein, features editor

    Read the full story: We’re Going Plastic-Free This Weekend—And We Want You To Too

  • Illustration by Seb Agresti
    2/14

    I’m obsessed with [insert condiment here]. How do I get it without plastic?

    Find a recipe and make like a gallon of it. This is a cooking magazine, you know? But we all have limited time on this earth and we may not want to use it making homemade mustard. So when in doubt buy the largest size possible. Sell-by dates are usually guesses (really!), so I don’t get hung up trying to use all that chili sauce by its expiration date. —Eve Andrews, Grist.org's environmental advice columnist Ask Umbra

  • Photo by Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh
    3/14

    Rethink the Coffee Shop

    Did the Great Straw Movement of 2018 pit your love for the planet against your love for cold brew? Trade in a few coffee shop visits for our coconut cold brew, which (bonus!) will caffeinate you before you even walk out the door.

    Get the recipe: Coconut Cold Brew Coffee

  • Illustration by Seb Agresti
    4/14

    Shop the bulk bins— and bring a container from home!

  • Photo by Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh
    5/14

    Buy Better Bags

    Help! My daughters go through a box of little plastic bags weekly.

    It’s not their fault—they have to pack their pretzels (and Goldfish) (and dried cranberries) somehow. On the hunt for an eco-friendly alternative, I tried a few. Small brown paper bags seemed promising but were too weak for a backpack beating. (Plus, they too can only be used once.) Zippered cloth bags were spill-proof, but at about $4 each they were cost- prohibitive given how many we’d need for a week.

    The best option I found is cheap and machine-washable: small muslin drawstring bags. The perfect size for a snack’s worth of almonds, they can be filled en masse after a trip to the bulk bin. And thanks to Etsy crafters who use them to make, I don’t know, lavender sachets or something, they’re easy to find online and in craft stores. —Anya Hoffman, Epicurious deputy editor

    Buy it: Small Muslin Drawstring Bags, $18 for a set of 50 on Amazon

    All products featured on Bonappetit.com are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

  • Illustration by Seb Agresti
    6/14

    How do I freeze things without plastic?

    If you haven’t accumulated 100 take-out containers and 10,000 plastic bags in a very chaotic cupboard in your kitchen, who are you? I use my collection to freeze things without plastic wrap, which you can really use only once and is definitely not recyclable. I lay portioned-out dough, scoops of tomato paste, and latkes (I love latkes) in single layers on baking sheets, then pop them in the freezer. Once they’ve solidified, you can store them in those old plastic containers—better to reuse them than throw away. —E. A.

  • Photo by Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh
    7/14

    Make Dinner, Then Pack a Lunch

    Yes, you should bring your lunch to work because the plastic clamshell holding your Santa Fe salad will still be on this planet when your great-great-grandchild is born. But also, it’s probably healthier, tastier, and cheaper than your to-go default. Start by packing your lunch once more per week than you do now.

    Dinner Day 1: Big Batch Chicken Thighs with Fennel and Scallions

    Lunch Day 2: Chicken and Cucumber Rice Bowls

    Lunch Day 3: Greens and Beans Sandwiches

  • Illustration by Seb Agresti
    8/14

    Keep a plate, bowl, glass, and silverware at the office.

  • Photo by Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh
    9/14

    Build a Plastic-Free Arsenal

    In order to kick our habit, we set ourselves a goal: Buy reusable goods that can replace the disposable plastic items we use and abuse regularly. The fact that they’re so pretty is just an added benefit. Don’t want to buy new things? We’ve got other suggestions to make it work too.

    Read more: How to Build a (Super-Chic) Plastic-Free Arsenal

  • Photo by Seb Agresti
    10/14

    So, do I just never order takeout again?

    I strongly subscribe to the eco-minded credo, “sometimes, you just have to be a weirdo.” My friend lives that truth by bringing her own Tupperware to restaurants to pick up takeout. And it works! Call ahead and ask for the meal on a plate and transfer it to the container yourself, or if you can wait, bring the container and have them fill it there. Delivery is more complicated.You can make requests like “no silverware” or “no extra sauce” to limit all the tiny flimsy plastic containers that accompany your pad see ew. But there’s no escaping all the plastic bags and containers. I’d say, like any environmentally unfriendly indulgence, keep delivery to a minimum, request no extras, and then keep whatever bags and containers you get for your sexy new Freezer Storage System. —E. A.

  • Photo by Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh
    11/14

    Give DIY a Try

    So, you loooove yogurt, but you don’t loooove all those tubs crowding your recycling bin. You know what won’t lead to a pileup, is tastier than what you buy now, and is tailored to your texture and tanginess preferences? The homemade stuff.

    Get the recipe: DIY Yogurt

  • Illustration by Seb Agresti
    12/14

    Choose heads of lettuce over boxed greens.

  • Photo by Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh
    13/14

    Hold Businesses Accountable

    “Skipping the straw is not going to solve this crisis. We need to push companies that are fair-trade and organic etc. to create different packaging for their ‘green’ products. It’s getting on social media. It’s tweeting at these big online retailers and organic supermarkets. You can say, ‘My package is great, but I would love for you to consider redesigning the way you’re shipping your products with so much plastic packaging.’ And include a fact: We know only 9 percent of plastic has actually been recycled since the 1950s.” —Shilpi Chhotray, senior communications officer, Break Free From Plastic

  • Illustration by Seb Agresti
    14/14

    Shop at Spots That Give a Damn

    Going low-waste isn’t something we can do alone, and these places are doing what they can to help.

    Read the full story: 5 Stores That Make It Easy to Go Plastic-Free

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