Do you dream of a world with less trash? Us too. In fact, it is our mission to help eliminate single-use paper coffee filters, clean up our local beaches, and minimize the trash we create as a family and a community. 

We’re always looking for ways to reduce our footprint further without investing in expensive, time consuming or complicated products and strategies. 

That’s why we’ve sung the praises of simple and economical things—mason jars, the French market bag, and DIYing your own veggie stock and plant-based milk. And we’ve slowly been adding to the list of favorites, tried and tested by our family and friends. 

Here are three more favorite—inexpensive and simple—reusable products to help eliminate trash. 

See-through, glass, reusable straws

If you need or prefer to use a straw when you drink,  and if reusable is an option for you (we know it isn’t for everyone!), there are many reusable straws on the market. We’re in love with these glass straws because they solve some of the issues we’ve had with other types. The biggest one? Seeing that they are clean. 

If you’ve used a metal straw for a smoothie and didn’t clean it right away, then you know the anxiety of wondering if you’ve gotten it fully cleaned out. Even with the straw brushes, you can’t always tell. These clear, glass straws mean you can see clearly. 

And yes, they are sturdy—stronger and more break resistant than regular glass. The six pack comes with three straight and three curved, plus a cleaning brush.  

Thrifted or sewn napkins

This may be one of the easiest, cheapest and most overlooked reusable we know. The next time you’re at a thrift store, estate sale or secondhand shop, go looking for cloth napkins. You can usually snag them cheaply and in bundles. You may find soft cotton, cute vintage or classic linen cloths in every color. 

Buy more than you think you’ll need and put a few in every bag you own. You will use them. 

If you’re crafty, they are super easy to sew from old sheets, shirts and other spare cloth. 

Utensils from home

For ages, every single time I ordered takeout and opened a pack of plasticware, I cringed. I’ve seen several travel packs of flatware, chopsticks and other utensils, and finally bought myself one. 

Then two things happened: The flatware that arrived was not as sturdy as I had hoped and a spoon broke off in a particularly cold scoop of icecream. Looking for a more sturdy replacement, a friend laughed and pulled out her own set of flatware—from home. She literally took a fork, spoon and knife from home, wrapped them in a cloth napkin, secured them with a band and placed them in her bag. She’s brilliant, and you can stop what you’re doing and put some  in your bag right now. 

Don’t want to grab your good stuff from home? You can buy utensils at the secondhand shop too!