Sustainable Living: 7 Everyday Items You Can Swap Out Now

Sustainable Swaps / Bento box

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Dispoable takeout containers

Bento Box

Forgo the doggy bag or single-use takeout containers next time you dine out and bring your own to-go solution instead. Ekobo makes a reusable bento box with a removable divider and, as a bonus, the lid doubles as a plate. (Not microwave safe.)

$23 at Gold Leaf in South Park.

@goldleafsouthpark

Sustainable Swaps / Cotton coffee filter

Paper coffee filters

Cotton coffee filter

Pour-over coffee addicts, rejoice! Ebb has an alternative to all of those paper filters you toss daily. Reuse this cotton filter up to 100 times and compost it once you’re done for all the eco-conscious brownie points. (Made for Chemex pour-over coffeemakers.)

$20 at Blue Bottle Coffee downtown and in One Paseo.

@bluebottle

Sustainable Swaps / Baggu bag

Plastic grocery bag

Baggu bag

It’s no secret that reusable bags are an easy segue into sustainable living. Heck, even the state of California took notice in 2016! Baggu allows you to eco-consciously haul your goods with style and strength—they can hold up to 50 pounds.

$12 at Thread + Seed in Bankers Hill.

@threadandseed

Sustainable Swaps / Bamboo cutlery set

Plastic cutlery

Bamboo cutlery set

Surf the Reusable Wave (STRW) is a San Diego brand that makes no-excuses alternatives to disposable cutlery (which can take up to 1,000 years to decompose). Their reusable bamboo set accounts for every utensil—fork, spoon, knife, chopsticks, straw, even a straw cleaner—and it’s dishwasher safe.

$12 at Small Batch in La Mesa.

@smallbatchstore

Sustainable Swaps / Terra candle

Candle

Terra candle

The name’s short for terracotta, which is what the best plant containers are made of (the porous material allows for good drainage). After you burn each wick to its end, repurpose the container as a planter.

$42 at Graffiti Beach in South Park.

@graffitibeach

Sustainable Swaps / Bee’s Wrap

Plastic wrap

Bee’s Wrap

Cover your bowl, wrap your sandwich, preserve half a lemon, you name it! This beeswax-based wrap operates just the same as plastic wrap, with one stipulation: Don’t toss it. Wash it in warm water and reuse it.

$22 for a three-pack at Gold Leaf in South Park.

@goldleafsouthpark

Sustainable Swaps / Steel straw set

Paper straws

Steel straw set

Once you know the facts—that 500 million disposable straws are tossed in the US every day—it doesn’t take much convincing to switch to a reusable one. But keeping track of those suckers can be difficult. Hali Hali Design has created a fashionable solution, and that’s to store them in a case.

$28 for a pack of four at Pigment in Liberty Station, North Park, and One Paseo.

@shoppigment