Not every reusable swap is worth the hassle. Here’s what I actually use, what I stopped using, and how to tell the difference.
The Story
When I started paying more attention to single-use waste, I went through a phase of buying every reusable alternative I came across. Beeswax wraps, silicone bags, cloth produce bags, bamboo utensils — a lot of what was out there. Some of it stuck. A lot of it ended up in a drawer.
The thing about reusables is that they only work if you actually use them. A reusable item that sits in a cabinet while you reach for the plastic wrap isn’t sustainable—it’s just clutter with good marketing.
What I’ve landed on after several years of trial and error: a short list of swaps that genuinely work, with honest notes on what’s annoying about each one.
The Swaps Worth Making
Cloth Napkins
The case for cloth napkins is simple: paper napkins seem cheap, but you buy them forever. Cloth napkins you buy once.
We’ve grabbed washcloths when we needed something to wipe our hands on—they work fine. I haven’t made the full switch intentionally, but every time I do it I think: why am I still buying paper napkins?
The honest part: This is the easiest swap with the fewest real downsides, and it’s still on my list to commit to fully.
Kitchen Towels Instead of Paper Towels
We cut our paper towel use by probably 80% by keeping a stack of old cloth rags in the kitchen. Old t-shirts, worn dish towels, flannel cut from fabric scraps—anything absorbent that’s seen better days.
I keep a small bin under the sink for dirty kitchen rags. They get washed with towels or a regular load.
The honest part: I still keep paper towels for a few specific things: bacon grease, pet accidents, anything truly disgusting that I don’t want going in the washing machine. I don’t feel bad about that. The goal isn’t zero paper towels; it’s using paper towels for what they’re actually suited for.
Reusable Containers for Leftovers
Glass mason jars and a set of glass food storage containers replaced most of our plastic wrap and plastic bags for food storage. Mason jars especially—they seal well, they go from fridge to microwave, and they’re cheap. Pro tip: use a vacuum sealer with a jar lid attachment to pull the oxygen out. Food lasts significantly longer when the air is removed.
The honest part: Glass is heavier and breaks if dropped. I accept this. Plastic containers are fine too; the key is having a container system that works so you reach for it instead of a bag.
Beeswax Bags and Wraps
I use beeswax bags for sandwiches, cut fruit, and snacks. They seal reasonably well, they’re easy to rinse out, and they last a long time if you don’t put them in the dishwasher or use them with raw meat.
I wrote a whole post on how to make your own beeswax bags if you want to go further with this one.
The honest part: Beeswax wraps are not great for wet or greasy foods. They don’t seal as tightly as plastic wrap. For wrapping cheese or covering a bowl for a few hours, they’re fine. For storing something liquid-adjacent, use a container with a lid instead.
Reusable Shopping Bags
This one’s been standard long enough that it feels basic, but it still matters. I keep bags in the car so I actually have them when I need them.
The honest part: I forget them sometimes. I’ve accepted that an occasional plastic bag isn’t a personal failure. We reuse the ones we bring home — they’re our go-to for scooping cat litter. If we end up with more than we can use, they go to our church, which collects plastic bags and crochets them into plarn mats — “plarn” being plastic yarn made by cutting bags into strips and looping them together. The finished mats are waterproof, insulating, and durable: they give people sleeping outside a barrier from cold, wet ground, and they hold up in rough conditions far better than a donated blanket would. They also go out with emergency response missions. Nothing goes to waste.
A Good Water Bottle and Travel Mug
Single-use cups and bottles are one of the highest-volume waste streams there is. A decent insulated water bottle keeps water cold all day. A travel mug keeps coffee hot long enough for a commute.
The honest part: You need to actually wash them. A water bottle that smells like old water doesn’t get used.
Metal Straws
Metal straws are one of those swaps that sounds fussier than it is. You rinse them out, toss them in the dishwasher, done. I’ve had the same ones for years.
The honest part: They do require a small brush to clean properly — most sets come with one. And they’re not great for hot drinks. For cold drinks, they’re just better.
What Didn’t Stick
Silicone bags: They work fine, but they’re harder to clean than I expected. Getting them fully dry inside before storing is annoying. I use containers instead.
Bamboo utensils: I wouldn’t buy a travel utensil set — if I need utensils somewhere, I can bring a fork from the drawer. But travel utensil kits have become a conference staple, and honestly, they’re some of the best swag I’ve gotten. If one lands in your bag, use it. A compact set that lives in your work bag or purse means you always have an out when someone hands you a plastic fork.
Reusable produce bags: In theory, great. In practice, I wash produce when I get home and it goes straight into the crisper drawer. I don’t need a bag for the 15 minutes it’s in the cart.
Paper straws: Not a reusable, but worth saying—they’re bad. They get soggy before you finish your drink. Get a metal straw instead.
The Sustainability Win
Reducing waste at the source is always better than recycling. Recycling has costs—energy, water, transportation, processing—and a lot of what goes in the bin doesn’t actually get recycled. Not putting the single-use item in circulation in the first place is cleaner.
The other angle: most of these swaps save money over time. Cloth napkins and kitchen rags pay for themselves in months. A good water bottle replaces years of bottled water purchases. The reusable that you actually use consistently almost always wins financially over the single-use alternative.
What you’re cutting:
- Ongoing cost of paper towels, napkins, bags, plastic wrap
- Packaging waste going to landfill
- Demand for petroleum-based single-use plastics
What you’re adding:
- A small upfront cost
- Some laundry
- Occasional washing of containers
That’s a trade worth making.
Tips from Our Kitchen
- Start with one swap. Pick the one that bothers you most—probably paper towels or plastic bags—and nail that before adding more.
- Make it easy. Reusables only work if they’re accessible. Bags in the car, cloth rags in the kitchen, containers on a shelf you open every day.
- Don’t throw away what you’re replacing. Use up your plastic wrap, use up your paper napkins. Tossing them to buy reusables is wasteful.
- Worn-out textiles become rags. Old t-shirts, threadbare dish towels, flannel scraps—anything soft and absorbent has a second life before it goes to textile recycling.
- When you do use single-use, pick the better option and get more life out of it. I’ll occasionally get a fountain soda — and when I do, I pick plastic over styrofoam. The cup comes home and gets reused: a drinking glass, a scoop for cat food, a starter pot for seedlings. It’s not zero waste, but it’s not one-and-done either.
- Reusable isn’t automatically better. A reusable item that takes a lot of energy to manufacture, ship, and wash has an environmental cost too. Simple materials (cotton, glass, stainless steel) tend to win over complex ones (silicone composites, multi-layer materials).
Related Posts
The best reusable is the one you actually use. A short list that you reach for every day beats a cabinet full of good intentions.