Sustainability

As part 2 of my Low Waste and Low Budget series I am going to share my current to-go Reusables. This has already changed in the three months since my last post. Mostly due to finding that one item I use can actually pull double duty very effectively.

Reusables

I have always been interested in the environment, and sustainability (even before it was called that) but I never really did enough, or I didn’t do as much as I think I could have (it was even the reason I went vegan for the first time 17 years ago). I’ve had a reusable cup for years (we used to camp when I was a kid so we always had them about) but that (and my own shopping bags) was about as much as I did. In my defence my mental health had been terrible for quite a few years, and I could barely manage to function let alone think about Reusables.  But then about a year ago I was sorting through some boxes and I found my tea towels, this sort of spiralled me into looking at my consumerist behaviour.

Drinking

Klean Kanteen Insulated TKWide 16oz with the cafe cap. This has replaced my Ecoffee bamboo coffee cup AND my 24Bottles Clima Reusable water bottle. If I had the newer version (linked above) I would also have the straw cap, and it would have replaced my smoothie jar as well. I use this for my coffee, for herbal tea, matcha, and for water. It is the perfect multi reusable, and I love it.

I used to have a plastic coffee cup (KeepCup) but it started leaking when I was trying to drink from it. When it came to replacing it I took my time to look at the alternatives because even though it wasn’t single use it was still plastic, and it only lasted three years. Then I found Ecoffee, Bamboo is a sustainable material (it’s fast growing, and compostable,) and doesn’t have the environmental impact of plastic. However, I have since found out that there have been some issues with bamboo cups and the glue used to bind them leaching chemicals into the hot drinks over time……this totally put me off those types of Reusables, and I decided to switch to stainless steel. This also meant I could get something insulated.

I have kept (and will use) my 24Bottle because it took me months (like 6+) to decide on it, I knew I wanted a double-wall one but all the ones I tried were really heavy. I trekked to many different shops trying to find one that wasn’t so heavy, and I was beginning to despair when I found 24. They must weigh half as much as all the others I looked at, and I knew I’d found my bottle. I still love it, just have something that is multi-use now, and I know I will keep using the bottle when I need the extra water.

Eating

The basic Reusables for eating I keep in my bag are: a cotton napkin, bamboo cutlery (and straw), and a snack pouch. I use bamboo cutlery because not only is it lightweight but I do fly on occasion, and a bamboo knife is less likely to be taken away. I have had metal knives (even the ones from mini kid’s cutlery sets) taken away from me before. The small spoon is from a children’s bamboo cutlery set, I got it for eating my yogurt, chia pudding, etc.
The snack pouch is from a UK-based company (operated and run by one lovely lady) called Woolla Woolla Handmade. She does a huge variety of sizes and options, and has so many different fabrics it is amazing. It has a waterproof (wipe clean) interior, and can be thrown in the washing machine for easy cleaning. The napkin was made by me. I found some old tea towels in a box when I was having a sort out, and I decided to chop a few of them into napkin size, and re-hem them. This worked out perfectly and I now have a nice collection of napkins.

The other eating related item (well technically two items) I tend to carry is my A Slice of Green Leakproof Lunchbox (Adoni), and snack container (Morri). I often use these for my lunch when I am out and about but they are also great to keep in my bag for bringing leftovers home, or for getting takeaway, or food on the go. Not every where will let you use your own container but I have gotten quite good about asking if places would mind. The snack container isn’t leakproof, so you have to be careful what you put in it, but it can easily hold hummus, or fruit (in the image below I had drained pickled and olives in it). The lid of the leakproof container has a removable silicone seal (so you can take it out to wash it properly), and the lid clips on. My clips are quite tight/stiff so I am not sure if this would be suitable if you don’t have hand strength, or for a child to use.

That’s it for the reusables I carry in my bag. What do you keep in yours?

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You can read more of my sustainability posts here: https://vegannomadgeek.com/category/sustainability/

*I bought all of these products myself, and was under no obligation to discuss them or link to them in a post.