Life in Plastic, Not So Fantastic: 12 Products to Help You Chop Plastic Out of Your Kitchen
- Words by Peppermint
What month is it again? While mentally we might still be stuck in 2019, Father Time keeps ticking away and all hands are pointing to Plastic Free July. 2022 sees the initiative in its twelfth year as millions of people around the globe join the pledge to reduce their plastic waste.
We know you’re already shunning plastic straws and remembering your reusables, but this Plastic Free July, we thought we’d take a journey through the home, eliminating plastic in each room as we go. Of course, the most sustainable products are the ones you already have on hand, but there’s no better time to share some love to the brands out there fighting the war on waste, all year round. Next in the series… the kitchen.
Whether you’re a bona fide home chef or need a recipe to make cereal, there’s a reason the kitchen is often called the heart of the home. It’s where we gather with our loved ones to cook generational recipes, pop champagne on special occasions and slow dance to records on cold winter nights. Sadly though when it comes to food preparation, there’s often a side order of plastic. Here are a few brands we love who are cleaning up your act.
READ MORE – Life In Plastic, Not So Fantastic: 13 Products to Help You Flush Plastic from Your Bathroom
THE SWAG
Keep your fruit and veggies fresh for up to two weeks with The Swag, made of 100% fair trade cotton. Waste less food, spend less money and use less plastic? That really waltzes our Matildas!
SOYOUNG
Pack lunch that packs a punch. SoYoung lunch boxes are cool as cooler bags for you or the young ones, with stylish raw linen fabric exteriors and PVC-free, phthalate-free aluminium insides.
ZILCH
This buildable bundle from Zilch takes the guesswork out of plastic-free living. From essentials such as soap and dishcloths to extras like coconut-fibre scourers, your kitchen cleaning swag is sorted in three easy steps!
EARTHS TRIBE
Wipe down waste with these Certified Organic cotton “unpaper towels” – designed to replace disposable kitchen roll. Versatile, machine washable and double ply for extra strength – that’s how we roll.
ZIPTOP
Get your food storage in shape with these 100% PVC-free platinum silicone containers, designed to replace ziplock bags. Useful for leftovers, lunches, snacks and more – they stand up, stay open and zip securely shut.
RETURNR
Looking for lunch on the run minus the plastic waste? The innovative Returnr lets you take away your food or coffee in borrowed, stainless steel containers that are then returned for a refundable deposit.
GREAT WRAP
When clingy is a good thing… This world-first compostable cling wrap is made from corn starch and plant-based resins, designed to break down within 180 days in your home compost or green-waste bin.
READ MORE – Business (Not) as Usual: This Couple Has Plastic Waste All Wrapped Up
AMBER’S FOOD WRAPS
Mind your beeswax… organic reusable beeswax food wraps that is. Aboriginal-owned and made, Amber’s Food Wraps are 100% cotton with designs by First Nations artists from the Northern Territory.
POTTERY FOR THE PLANET
Look forward to coffee or lunch on-the-go in the stunning ceramics, handmade on the Sunshine Coast, by Pottery for the Planet. One-of-a-kind and sealed with a silicone lid, your plastic-free meal will be the envy of the lunchroom.
READ MORE – All Kilns Glazing: Meet the Local Pottery Brand Fighting for the Planet
GHOST WARES
Hey there, hot stuff! Make your mornings just a little bit easier (and cooler) thanks to this gorgeous stone coffee pot, hand-made by Melbourne-based ceramics studio Ghost Wares.
PODSTAR
Just can’t quit your coffee pod habit? Happily, for you, there’s a sustainable option. Podstar’s reusable, stainless steel capsules fit a variety of machines, including the Clooney classic, Nespresso.
AUSSIE BREAD BAGS
Aimed at combating the one million plastic bread bags that enter Australian landfill every day, these NSW-made reusable cotton bread bags also help avoid the pesky mould that plastic can encourage!
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Look, I don’t want to make anyone panic but IT’S DECEMBER!!! If you’re planning to give homemade gifts, you’re going to have to act fast. …
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“In the 1940’s, Norwegians made and wore red pointed hats with a tassel as a form of visual protest against Nazi occupation of their country. Within two years, the Nazis made these protest hats illegal and punishable by law to wear, make, or distribute. As purveyors of traditional craft, we felt it appropriate to revisit this design.”
Crafters have often been at the heart of many protest movements, often serving as a powerful means of political expression. @NeedleAndSkein, a yarn store in Minnesota, are helping to mobilise the craftivists of the world with a ‘Melt The Ice’ knitting pattern created by @Yarn_Cult (with a crochet pattern too), as a way of peaceful protest.
The proceeds from the $5 pattern will go to local immigrant aid organisations – or you can donate without buying the pattern.
Raise those needles, folks – art and craft can change the world. 🧶
Link in bio for the pattern.
Images: @Gather_Fiber @NeedleAndSkein @a2ina2 @KyraGiggles Sandi.204 @WhatTracyMakes AllieKnitsAway Auntabwi2
#MeltTheIce #Craftivism #Knitting #CraftForChange
TWO WEEKS TO GO! 🤩
"The most important shift is moving from volume-led buying to value-led curation – choosing fewer, better products with strong ethics, considered production and meaningful stories. Retailers have real influence here: what you buy signals what you stand for. At Life Instyle, this means using the event to discover and invest in small-scale, planet-considerate brands that align with your values and your customer’s conscience. Consumers don’t need more things; they need better things, and retailers play a key role in selecting, contextualising, and championing why those products matter."
Only two more weeks until @Life_Instyle – Australia`s leading boutique retail trade show. If you own a store, don`t miss this event! Connect with designers, source exquisite – and mindful – products, and see firsthand why this is Australia’s go-to trade show for creatives and retailers alike. And it`s free! ✨️
Life Instyle – Sydney/Eora Country
14-17 February 2026
ICC, Darling Harbour
Photos: @Samsette
#LifeInstyle #SustainableShopping #SustainableShop #RetailTradeEvent
Calling all sewists! 📞
Have you made the Peppermint Waratah Wrap Dress yet? Call *1800 I NEED THIS NOW to get making!
This gorgeous green number was modelled (and made) by the fabulous Lisa of @Tricky.Pockets 🙌🏼
If you need a nudge, @ePrintOnline are offering Peppermint sewists a huge 🌟 30% off ALL A0 printing 🌟 when you purchase the Special Release Waratah Wrap Dress pattern – how generous is that?!
Head to the link in bio now 📞
*Not a real number in case that wasn`t clear 😂
#PeppermintWaratahWrapDress #PeppermintPatterns #SewingPattern #WrapDress #WrapDressPattern
8 Things to Know About January 26 - from @ClothingTheGaps:
Before you celebrate, take the time to learn the truth. January 26 is not a day of unity it’s a Day of Mourning and Survival for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
It marks the beginning of invasion, dispossession, and ongoing colonial violence. It’s time for truth-telling, not whitewashed history.
Stand in solidarity. Learn. Reflect. Act.
✊🏽 Blog written by Yorta Yorta woman Taneshia Atkinson.
🔗 Link in bio of @ClothingTheGaps to read the full blog
#ChangeTheDate #InvasionDay #SurvivalDay #AlwaysWasAlwaysWillBe #ClothingTheGaps
As the world careens towards AI seeping into our feeds, finds and even friend-zones, it`s becoming increasingly hard to ignore.
We just wanted to say that here at Peppermint, we are choosing to not print or publish AI-generated art, photos, words, videos or content.
Merriam-Webster’s human editors chose `slop` as the 2025 Word of the Year – they define it as “digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence.” The problem is, as AI increases in quality, it`s becoming more and more difficult to ascertain what`s real and what`s not.
Let`s be clear here, AI absolutely has its place in science, in climate modelling, in medical breakthroughs, in many places... but not in replacing the work of artists, writers and creatives.
Can we guarantee that everything we publish is AI-free? Honestly, not really. We know we are not using it to create content, but we are also relying on the artists, makers and contributors we work with, as well as our advertisers, to supply imagery, artwork or words created by humans. AI features are also creeping into programs and apps too, making it difficult to navigate. But we will do our best to avoid it and make a stand for the artists and creatives who have had their work stolen and used to train AI machines, and those who are now losing work as they are replaced by this energy-sapping, environment-destroying magic wand.
Could using it help our productivity and bottom line? Sure. And as a small business in a difficult landscape, that`s a hard one to turn down. We know other publishers who use AI to write stories, create recipes, produce photo shoots... but this one is important to us.
`Touch grass` was also a Merriam-Webster Word of the Year. We`ll happily stick with that as a theme, thanks very much. 🌿
If your fingers are twitching for some crafting, take a peep at this massive list of marvellous makes that can be whipped up in a flash, put together by our Sewing Manager Laura. Ok yes, it was originally a roundup we created for easy Christmas gifts, but now it can be your blueprint for easy craft wins to go on your 2026 making must-do list!
If money and time are slim for you right now – as they are for many of us – these 22 projects will help you avoid the chaos and consumerism of the malls, scratch that creative itch and produce a fun me-made make that won’t break the bank.
Link in bio! 🪡🎨✂️
#PeppermintMagazine #MeMadeGifts #DIYs #EasyWins
