Cut The Crap: 13 Kitchen Alternatives That Are Sustainable & Useful

We've used Good Karma products often and we love their range of eco-friendly tissues. These biodegradable tissue paper products (they have kitchen rolls, facial tissues and even toilet paper) come in equally biodegradable packaging, making this brand an easy choice to switch to from your regular off-the-rack brands. Check Out their toilet rolls, kitchen towels, compostable garbage bags and pocket hanky.

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Price: Starting at INR 90 

For those of you looking to replace their non-stick kitchen utensils with a healthier option, Green Heirloom is your new best friend. We swear by their clay kitchen kadais and pots and pans, and have been using a few of their kadhais to do our cooking as well. We love that the brand's range of clay, cast iron and wooden kitchen utensils are long-lasting, and easy to use and maintain. Their tamarind wood chopping board is another pick. You should give their clay saucepan, clay kadai, tamarind wood chopping board, soapstone mortar & pestle and cast iron cookware a look!

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Price: Starting at INR 650

If you're looking for a sustainable alternative to your synthetic dishwashers, give Koparo's dishwashing liquid a shot. It's plant-based and claims to cut grease, residue, and odour. It is safe to use on all utensils, from baby bottles to expensive crockery. Their product line also has vegetable cleaners, floor cleaners and detergents—all without any harmful chemicals or toxic ingredients! 

Price: Starting at INR 199

Replace plastic bags and plastic wraps for this eco-friendly option from urban creative. Their Madhu Beeswax Food Wraps are locally sourced and made from GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified organic cotton fabric, unbleached beeswax, natural tree dammar gum and organic cold-pressed coconut oil. Both beeswax and coconut oil have antibacterial and antifungal properties keeping your food safer for longer. You're sorted for good eight to 10 months, as these are reusable and washable and can be used up to 100 times! 

Price: INR 499 for a set of three

As long as the human race exists, parties, family get-togethers, festive-time entertaining and single-use plastic will exist. But Areca Nut Co believes you can eliminate the latter completely by switching from disposable plastic cutlery to entirely compostable and eco-friendly plates and spoons. How? The next time you have company over, stock up on plates and spoons made from fallen areca nut leaves from The Areca Nut Co. All you have to do is purchase, use guilt-free and then just compost (their products have no glues or veneers, so it's easy to do the last bit). This cool company follows several other conscious production practices too. 

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Price: Starting at INR 598

Switch out your plastic or metallic dish scrubber for this CocoNuts bout Scrubs scrubber, which is made from coconut husk. Not only is it eco-friendly itself, but is also zero-waste as it is made from discarded coconut fibre. We tried using this one, and while it seems super soft, it gives your dishes a good scrubbing. Currently available on Bare Necessities, you can get it in sets of two for INR 99 and a set of six for INR 199. Also have a look at the eco-friendly and reusable schima superba wooden cutlery set as well as the all-natural coconut shell bowls to entirely swap out plastic bowls and cutlery.

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Price: INR 99 for pack of two

Another brand that's making us ditch our non-stick pots, pans and tawas is The Indus Valley. They have a range of pre-seasoned cookware that is made from cast iron. You can pick up kadais, tawas, skillets, grill pans, and appam and paniyaram pans. And that's not all, there's a a whole range of wooden tableware, such as spoons, chopping boards, bowls, and plates for you to pick from as well. The spoons are made from neem wood, and you can get mango wood chopping boards. We definitely recommend the neem wood plates as well. Oh, and we've got our eye on the copper thali set! 

Price: Starting at INR 499

Be it fruit, random containers with munchies or other sundry kitchen items, everything needs a place, and storage options like baskets are a great alternative to plastic. Bamboo baskets by Mianzi are pretty, light and better alternatives to have around. What's cool is also that the baskets are stackable, so you can even use them to store your potatoes and onions outside. Bamboo naturally wicks moisture, so it's a good option for bread and fruit too. 

Price: Starting at INR 790

Be it for daily use or a party, reusable straws are essential for any kitchen. ONEarth has many straw options—bamboo, metal, copper—you can choose whatever your heart desires. Another kitchen essential we really liked from this brand was their pan cleaner brush. Apart from kitchen items, they have a yoga collection, personal care items, jewellery and handbags.

Price: Starting at INR 99 (for kitchen items)

The brainchild of Smitha Kamath, PraanaPoorna is a Bangalore-based company that supplies a bunch of cleaning products for yourself and your home. The brand not only works towards creating ethically sourced 100 per cent natural and organic products but also aims to be affordable and accessible. We were pleasantly surprised to find this kitchen degreaser, a great product for greasy stains on countertops or to clean the chimney. 

Price: Starting at INR 175 (for kitchen items)

Born Good has a whole line of eco-friendly products for home cleaning that also smell divine! Our newest favourite is an essential in the kitchen, we’re talking dishwashing gel, only difference being Born Good’s version is entirely plant-based and good for the environment. This potent formula is tough on grease and safe on your hands, leaving you with squeaky clean dishes and hands that aren’t itchy, flaky or irritated. You will also use minimal water in the process because a little goes a long way with this dishwashing gel. Oh, and it has a super refreshing Spanish citrus fragrance.

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Price: Starting at INR 219

Almitra Sustainables has a bunch of conscious products for your home, be it for your bathroom, kitchen or personal care. We especially like the hard kitchen brush to remove burnt food from cookware. It's made from bassine fiber, which comes from Palmyra Palms and is known to have excellent durability and is efficient in cleaning. It's tougher than coir (coconut fibres) and is able to remove tough stains with minimal damage to the utensil.

Price: Starting at INR 120

Beco has a very impressive toxin-free range of home-cleaning products, we personally have their laundry detergent sheets and floor cleaner sheets in our carts. For your kitchen, pick their eco-friendly bamboo kitchen roll, which is reusable up to 100 times and can be machine or hand-washed easily. It's also five times more absorbent than a regular towel, so you'll use less too.

Price: Starting at INR