I'm also trying to avoid single use plastics -- and plastics in general. Things I do:
- For several years I've been buying old-fashioned Pyrex refrigerator boxes from ebay. I love them for leftovers because they fit so nicely together in the refrigerator, and we can just rewarm them /eat from them for lunches. Because I always buy the same brand, the lids are all interchangeable. They're nice and heavy, and I've never broken one. The negative: they're rather expensive.
- I keep those refrigerator boxes near the stove for convenience -- but I keep the plastic wrap and ziplock bags in the pantry, where it takes an extra step to reach them.
- I have one of those silicone "flowers" that can be a lid for any bowl. Works great. I want to get a few more in different sizes. It's better than using plastic wrap over a bowl.
- I like to buy large packages and transfer the contents to glass containers for my pantry storage. Bugs are a problem in the South, and glass looks nice in the pantry. Unlike plastic, glass doesn't turn yellowish and crack with age, and "collected glass containers" look good together.
- We have reusable beeswax-covered sandwich wraps (bought from etsy), which I like very much.
Not long ago I attended a recycling program, and I learned so much. I thought I knew about recycling, but I was throwing a lot of items into the bin by mistake -- now I'm trying very hard to avoid buying certain things. Things I've been trying to change about my purchasing /recycling:
- I've started a box under my sink, where I keep "plastic wrap" type things -- the plastic from toilet paper, meat wrap, etc. -- and I know now where to return it to the grocery store. You can't recycle that from home.
- I won't buy cookies that come in a bag + a tray. Instead, I choose a type with a bag only.
- We aren't big milk drinkers -- mainly I use it for cooking -- but I buy only cardboard milk cartons, never plastic jugs.
- I love yogurt, and I've always felt bad about those individual containers. Now I make it in my InstaPot (super easy and takes only 10-15 minutes of hands-on work). It lasts about 2 weeks in Mason jars and I add my own fresh fruit (and no sweetener), so it's considerably more healthy than store-bought. My co-workers are insane for the stuff.
- We've never been bottled water drinkers -- a reusable bottle is really no effort.
I've really decreased my use of plastics since attending that program, but I could do so much more -- I think this is an ongoing project. I can't see any way to avoid buying plastic-wrapped meat, peanut butter jars, and other such things.