Top tips.
Small changes in your kitchen can dramatically reduce your family's exposure to microplastics and harmful chemicals.
- Switch to Glass & Stainless Steel — Replace plastic food storage with glass, ceramic, or stainless steel containers. They last longer and don't leach chemicals into your food.
- Opt for Natural Wraps — Ditch plastic cling wrap for compostable beeswax wraps or reusable cloth covers. They're washable, mouldable, and plastic-free.
- Choose Wood or Bamboo — Swap plastic cutting boards and utensils for 100% wood or bamboo alternatives. They don't shed microplastics into your food while chopping.
- Upgrade Your Cookware — Transition away from scratched nonstick cookware to cast iron, stainless steel, or ceramic pots and pans that won't release PFAS.
- Brew Plastic-Free — Replace plastic coffee pods and mesh tea bags with ground coffee and loose-leaf tea. Many tea bags contain polypropylene that leaches when heated.
- Swap the Sponge — Most bright yellow-and-green sponges are made from polyurethane or polyester plastics. Switch to natural cellulose or loofah sponges instead.
- Filter Your Water — Invest in a water filter and reusable stainless steel bottles to phase out single-use plastic water bottles from your kitchen entirely.
Find your alternatives.
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The worst offenders
Learn which kitchen products pose the highest risk.
Food Storage
Containers, Cling Wrap
Plastic containers and cling wrap can leach chemicals into food and drinks. Heating plastic releases even more harmful chemicals — especially with fatty, acidic, or hot foods.
Meal Prep
Cutting Boards
While cutting, plastic cutting boards can shed thousands of microplastic particles directly into your food. Knife grooves trap bacteria and food residue, increasing both contamination and material breakdown.
Cookware
Pots, Pans
Scratches, overheating, and wear can increase the breakdown of nonstick coatings. Nonstick pots and pans may release PFAS — a suite of hormone-disrupting chemicals linked to serious health concerns.
Cooking Utensils
Spatulas, Ladles, Measuring Cups
Heat and friction cause plastic utensils to release chemicals directly into your food. Black plastic utensils may contain toxic recycled electronic materials.
Cleaning Tools
Sponges, Hand Towels
Most kitchen sponges are made from polyurethane or polyester plastics. They never fully break down and persist as microplastics long after you throw them away.
Labels
Not all cool labels are good labels.
Microwave Safe
Doesn't always mean chemical-safe. Heat accelerates the leaching of chemicals from plastic into food.
Nonstick
Often contains PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals," that migrate into food during cooking.
Dishwasher Safe
Degrades plastic faster and increases the shedding of microplastics with every wash cycle.