How to reduce your home’s environmental impact

Plastic products have made our lives easier, but they also pollute the earth. Most people can agree on that. Food scraps can also be a wasteful item that ends up in landfills. Consumer Reports will be celebrating Earth Day on April 22nd. These are some easy ways to reduce both.

Reusable silicone bags are a great way to reduce your environmental footprint. Consumer Reports tried a lot of them. These bags can replace plastic sandwich and snack bags. They are made from silica which is a natural element found in rock and sand. They will cost more upfront but you can reuse them by washing them in the dishwasher, or by washing them manually.

The top-pick W&P 34-ounce bag is $12 and easy to open, close, leak-, and stain-resistant. It’s great for freezer storage. It can also serve as sous-vide.

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CR recommends that you first look at what you can use instead of buying more. Reduce food waste. Composting is an option for the non-food items. CR tested several indoor composters that could be useful if you don’t have enough space outside.

Many of these require microbes or worms to break down food scraps. Some can also smell and attract pests.

The Vitamix Food Cycler costs $400 and skips the worms. Instead, it grinds and breaks down food in just 3 to 8 hour. The food will then be easier to dispose of in the landfills.

Worms are the best choice for high-quality compost that you can use for your plants or garden.

CR states that the Urban Worm Bag Version 2 by Uncle Jims Worm farm for $140 is convenient and simple to use and can hold 6 pounds of food scraps.

CR recommends that you aim to reduce your overall food waste before investing in a composting machine. Because composting doesn’t reduce the upstream environmental impact of growing food, it can only be used to reduce that.

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You can find out more about the other reusable bags made of silicone that were CR-tested here. Visit the CRs websiteWatch the short video below.