Pantry Organisation Without Plastic 

Pantry organisation that doesn’t involve serious amounts of plastic containers, single-use wraps and food waste can be tricky. But with a few simple swaps, you can do your pantry organisation like a pro without the need for any plastics.  

So, we’ve put a guide together a guide of easily attainable steps to help you to achieve your plastic-free pantry goals. Do you love looking up people’s zero waste pantries and saving pictures of them to Pinterest? Or is that just us? 

Pantry Ideas for a Plastic-Free Home

1. Make a checklist

2. Try some affordable plastic-free shopping 

3. The best food storage containers for pantry reorganisation

4. Use reusable cotton bags 

5. Use vegan wax wraps instead of cling film

6. Use home compostable stickers to label your jars 

7. Its okay to not throw away reusable plastic containers 

How can I organise my pantry without plastic? Step by Step Guide:

1. Make a checklist

Have you been putting off giving your pantry a good sort out? This is the sign to do it. Get started by writing a list that you can check off one-by-one. Great places to start are composting food that has gone off, donating food or items that you are no longer using, emptying and cleaning the shelves. Even give your shelves a wipe down with Spruce’s plastic-free multipurpose spray cleaner which is perfect for getting most sealed surfaces sparkling. 

2. Try some affordable plastic-free shopping

Buying food in bulk is better for the environment, but also better for your bank account. If you don’t have the time to go to a zero-waste food shop in person, you can always do a plastic free shop online. We have made a list of shops throughout the UK you can go to. There are so many popping up in cities and towns, so you will be sure to find one. It’s usually best to bulk buy foods that have a long storage life to put in your pantry such as;

• Grains and legumes 

• Canned food

• Baking supplies 

• Oils

• Nuts and seeds

• Herbs and spices

• Long life milks

• Condiments

3. The best food storage containers for pantry reorganisation

Any glass jars you may have got hold of such as ones that you have bought with food in such as a big jar of sundried tomatoes or beetroot, you can give these a wash and use these as containers for food storage. This is the same for any stainless steel containers you might have around the home, that you can repurpose to store food. It's also a good idea to go to second-hand shops to buy glass jars and pyrex bowls, so you aren’t buying brand new. To get any labels off jars, you can soak them in warm soapy water, baking soda and cooking oil. 

If you do end up needing to purchase some containers brand new, then try out these eco friendly storage container materials;

• Stainless steel containers

• Aluminium containers

• Pyrex containers

• Ceramic bowls with lids

• Cotton dishes

• Recycled bamboo 

• Brown compostable paper bags

4. Use reusable cotton food bags

They don’t just come in use when you are shopping for fruit and vegetables, but they are also great to store foods in your pantry for veggies like potatoes, onions and carrots. You can also get cotton bread bags to store your loaves in. You can just pop these bags in the washing machine to keep them clean. You can get stylish  reusable cotton food bags in different colours and patterns, so your pantry doesn’t have to look bland. 

5. Use vegan wax wraps instead of cling film 

These wraps are a lifesaver, and a great addition to your plastic-free pantry. Vegan wax wraps are a brilliant alternative to cling film or plastic sandwich bags. They are great to keep your food in when you go out places or to use for covering food in bowls for the fridge. Our friends at The Beeswax Wrap Co have some great options. You can also get cotton bowl covers with very cute patterns on. If you are on a budget don’t worry, you can wrap food in tea towels, put a plate on top of a bowl or try making your own covers. 

6. Use compostable stickers to label your jars 

So you don’t lose track of what you have in your pantry, labelling your containers and bags is always a good idea. It means you can just grab what you need without rooting around for ages - hassle free! Another tip is to put the expiration date on your labels as well. Also, extra points if you use home compostable labels and pens. You will feel a sense of pride when you look at your organised plastic free pantry with everything labelled. 

7. It's okay to repurpose plastic containers 

Obviously we would all like a world where we wouldn’t have any plastic in our kitchen, especially because plastic tubs are not good for our health due to toxins. However, if you already have plastic containers in your kitchen, you might want to keep them instead of binning them because that would be even worse for the environment. 

Having a plastic free pantry means that you just aren’t purchasing more plastic, not that you have to throw absolutely everything away that contains plastic. Just try using them for non-food items to avoid ingesting microplastics in your food.

We hope this guide helps with pantry organisation that doesn't involve buying more pesky plastic. Remember, it's great that you are doing something that is worthwhile for the planet, and that it's okay to do things imperfectly. As long as you try, that’s all that matters. We would love for you to send in your plastic free pantry progress pictures to our Instagram and we will share them on our stories. MAJOR plus if you include our Spruce refillable cleaning products!

Blog written by Zara Huxley.