Recently I have started an effort to reduce plastics, and in particular microplastics, in my life. The obvious and most pressing place to start was in my kitchen, as it is through food and drink that microplastics end up in our bodies. Here is how I removed plastic entirely from the first area on which I focussed my attention: my water bottles, my electric kettle, and my coffee travel mug.
Note that the links below are NOT affiliate links. If you have found this helpful please consider putting something in my tip jar, but I am not going to diminish the integrity of my recommendations by trying to monetize them.
What the NIH Says About Microplastics
(Feel free to skip this section if you already know.)
The National Institute of Health explains that “Microplastics are synthetic, high-molecular weight compounds that have been micronized into plastic particles smaller than 5 mm in size. Such materials have a low biodegradation rate and, thus, mostly remain in the environment and adversely affect the human body, the final consumer in the food chain,” and “Previous estimates indicated that humans are exposed to between tens of thousands and millions of microplastics each year, or several milligrams per day. The main exposure route could be the inhalation of indoor air and drinking water in plastic bottles. Exposure to microplastics through food intake is likely the main exposure source, although it remains difficult to provide a detailed estimate due to the lack of research on the contents and internal doses of microplastics in different foods.” And, finally, “Plastic, which has become inseparable from human life, has given various benefits to mankind, but is naturally or artificially divided into various sizes and affecting the natural ecosystem. When the size of the plastic becomes smaller and microplastics are formed, they can be absorbed, ingested, or inhaled into the human body through the skin, gastrointestinal system, or lungs. These microplastics can physically block the digestive system, stimulate the mucous membrane, and injure it. Also, when the size of microplastics becomes smaller than 1 micrometer to form nanoplastics, which are ultrafine plastics, they can pass through the primary tissue barrier in the body and penetrate the capillary blood vessel through the blood stream, which can be dispersed throughout the body. In addition, ultrafine plastics have hydrophobic properties that do not dissolve in water and can be dispersed, resulting in various properties.”
What I Have Done so Far to Get Plastics Out of My Kitchen and Food and Drink Stream
When I started thinking about this I came to the stunning realization that it’s likely that the greatest daily source of microplastics in my kitchen was my water and coffee intake.
Water Bottles
For a very long time I have filled two or three quart-sized plastic water bottles and placed them, pre-filled, in my kitchen, where they would prompt me to drink them throughout the day, thus making sure that my water intake was adequate. That is two to three quarts of water every day that are stored in and drank out of plastic bottles. While they are BPA-free, to me that was no longer adequate.
In addition, I have a couple of Camelbak water bottles that I use when working out. Also, of course, plastic. I work out 5x a week, so, again, a lot of water sitting in and sipped from plastic.
What I Did About Water Bottles
Plastic-Free Sports Water Bottles
You will be hard-pressed to find all-glass, no plastic water bottles. You can find some that are all metal, although they have plastic lids (but just to cap them, you don’t drink through them). However! The good news is that there is one water bottle that is all glass, including the neck, with a silicone lid. They are made by BlenderBottle, they are 18-ounce, and they are awesome! The glass is thick, so less likely to break if you drop it (plus parts of it are encased in silicone), although of course being glass they could break if you abuse them.
The bad news is that they don’t seem to be making them any longer. But the other good news is that BlenderBottle has made this bottle for someone else, Shakeology. So you can get the Shakeology-branded all-glass BlenderBottle from Amazon, at least as long as they last, here: https://www.amazon.com/shakeology-Reusable-Durable-Silicone-Drinking/dp/B0CJGBJSKW/
Plastic-Free Quart-size Water Bottles
I replaced the “in my face to remind me to drink enough water” plastic water bottles with plain old narrow-neck (known as “regular mouth”, as compared to “wide mouth”) Mason jars (i.e. canning jars), with colourful lids. They are great, and the narrower necks fit even my tiny hands. Don’t they look great? :~)
Here’s the crazy thing: even though I was washing those water bottles every night, and they were very clean, the water in the glass bottles tastes so much better! It tastes, I don’t know – somehow cleaner, or purer! It’s much more quenching!
You can get regular-mouth quart size canning jars at most hardware or even grocery stores, or you can get them here on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/LAIBY-Regular-Mouth-Canning-Silver/dp/B0C4LZV88Y/
You can get pint (16 oz) regular-mouth canning jars (in case you prefer a smaller size) here on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Ball-61000-Regular-16-Ounces-12-Units/dp/B07MZ97158/
Canning jars are cheap – about $1 a jar.
You can get the cute (all metal, with a silicone seal) lids here: https://www.amazon.com/Supplies-Standard-Airtight-Silicone-Chrismas/dp/B075JRW1QK/
Plastic-Free Electric Kettles
I have been using a BPA-free but fully-plastic electric kettle for years; in fact more years than I care to think about. And, of course, this may be one of the worst offenders, because that plastic is being exposed to both boiling water and boiling-hot steam every time you use it. So I was very excited to find the only electric kettle (at least on Amazon) that boldly declares “No Plastic Contact with Water!” and “ZERO CONTACT WITH PLASTIC!”! The problem is that they lie. In fact, as I wrote in my rather scathing review of the kettle, “There is plastic immediately over the spout, and the only way for there to be “no contact” is if you pour very carefully and at an odd angle. And even if you do that, your kettle has been subjecting that plastic to boiling-point steam, leaching the microplastics back into your water!”
So, of course, I returned the kettle and kept searching. And I finally found it – the holy grail of plastic-free electric kettles! It works very well, is (I think) cute, and has a cool thermometer built right into the side of the kettle so you can monitor how hot your water is, in case you are a tea aficianado or making something for children, and want the water to be a temperature below 212°. You can see it in the picture above, and you can read more about it and order it on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0D8BKV3JL/
Plastic-Free Insulated Thermal Travel Cup
In my search and research I found exactly one – count ’em, one – insulated travel cup that had absolutely no plastic. I had previously loved my big stainless steel Yeti cup, but the lid (through which you sip your hot beverage) is plastic. So every sip of a hot beverage is flowing over plastic. Ick.
It took me a long time to find the one travel mug (well, tumbler) with no plastic. Fortunately, it’s awesome! It is triple-walled stainless steel (the outside comes in various patterns), with a ceramic lid! The lid has a silicone stopper to keep the liquid from splashing out, although I found that I needed to remove the stopper to make drinking through the lid comfortable, but that may just be me. If I ever needed to.. you know.. actually travel with it, I think I’d just order a second lid, keeping the stopper on one and the stopper off the other. (Note that the lid is very hard to get off and put back on the first few times, but eventually the silicone flange yields just a tiny bit, so that it’s much easier to put the lid on and off, while still sealing the tumbler.)
You can see the cup in the picture above, and here’s a picture of the lid sans silicone stopper:
You can check out this awesome no-plastic insulated travel tumbler here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KY64FHK
Again, none of these links are affiliate links. :~)
In addition I have started trying hard to buy food that isn’t in plastic, but it’s difficult! The easiest thing with which to accomplish this is fresh produce, or shelf-stable goods in non-plastic bags.
And that’s what I’ve done so far to reduce plastics and microplastics, especially in my food and drink stream! Have you also been reducing and replacing plastics in your life? What have you done? Please share it with me in a comment, so we can all benefit from what each other is doing!
