Eco Friendly Baskets: Sustainable Storage For The Home
Who doesn’t love a good basket? I’ve found myself becoming more drawn to using baskets in my home. Not just for organization, but for decor as well! These days, eco friendly baskets are a staple in our modern farmhouse.
You can find sustainable baskets that go with any style of decor. Using lots of natural elements in the home is definitely still a trend in 2022. I love that natural elements work especially well in homes with a rustic or farmhouse feel, like ours.
In this post you’ll see how I use baskets made of natural materials in my own house, along with some of my favorite ways to source them. I hope that you are able to draw inspiration for your own home, and easily find ways to switch more of your decor and organization items to options that use sustainable materials.
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What is considered eco-friendly?
So what constitutes as an eco-friendly basket? Are they biodegradable? Made of natural materials? Do they create a mutually beneficial relationship between a living thing and its environment?
Well, yes! Eco-friendly items are defined as not harmful to the environment, or better yet, to benefit the environment in some way. Items made of plant materials or other natural materials are considered to be eco friendly.
Another element of eco-friendliness can also have to do with the manufacturing process of a product. In the making of the product, there should not be an overuse of resources. And in order to create fair trade baskets, any workers involved are treated fairly and healthfully.
Why choose an eco-friendly basket?
It can be easy to choose plastic totes or storage containers for organizational purposes. They’re cheap, stack well, and are easy to clean. However, it really is worth making the effort to move away from using these plastic baskets, and here’s why:
- Up to 79% of all plastic ends up in landfills. (source)
- Plastic is known to leach chemicals. As a result, it’s not the best choice for storing food.
- The practice of plastic being burned or incinerated releases toxins that seriously pollute our environment.
Plus, baskets made of natural fibers simply look better. It’s so satisfying to use decorative storage baskets that are both functional and beautifying.
How I use baskets in a farmhouse/rustic style home
I have a home that many would consider to be a “modern farmhouse.” When we first moved in almost 5 years ago, I knew this was the style I wanted to highlight with our decor.
These days, I’m a little less drawn to cold and industrial. I still love incorporating modern elements into our home, but I’m becoming more drawn to bohemian elements like wicker baskets, palm leaves, and macrame.
And so, I have a newfound love for hanging eco-friendly baskets on the walls.
I can find wicker baskets like these for days at my local thrift shops. And they’re just so darn cute hanging in a collage of sorts.
I’ll be honest, I used to loathe all things wicker. As someone who is naturally attracted to clean lines and modern colors, seeing all those baskets piled up at the thrift store was mostly unappealing. But I’ve learned to apply vision to them. When paired with the right things, wicker baskets suddenly become cute and pleasantly vintage.
Another way I love using baskets is to organize our homeschool supplies. They add both form and function to our “school shelf.” The kids can easily pull out the ones with handles and find what they’re looking for.
Functional eco-friendly baskets
Really, there are endless ways to use these type of lovely baskets made of friendly materials. You can use them:
- As an eco friendly laundry basket
- To store blankets in
- As toy storage in a living room or playroom
- As fresh fruit baskets in the kitchen
- As wall hangings
- As picnic baskets
- For house plants that came in ugly pots
- For kids’ shoe storage
- For towel/washcloth storage
- To organize the top of the fridge
- As a gift basket for holding lots of smaller items
- As a catchall (trust me, my husband needs catchall baskets–ha)
Where to find natural storage baskets
So where can you find great eco-friendly baskets? And what if you’re on a budget?
The best place to find baskets on a budget is your local thrift shop. There seem to be a lot of people donating unused vintage baskets without realizing they’re sitting on a treasure trove. That’s good news for you if you’re looking for a great deal!
Have you walked through Target or HomeGoods lately? Natural baskets are everywhere. You could purchase them there, but you’ll be paying a lot more money. And, thrifting is one of the most eco-friendly ways to shop. It’s a way to stay sustainable by reusing and repurposing someone’s unwanted items.
Maybe you’re just looking for some quick links so that you can shop eco-friendly baskets at the click of a button. If so, don’t worry, you’re covered! I’m about to share some top picks.
This bamboo basket set is super cute for keeping fruit on the counter or for organizing smaller items.
A large wicker storage basket like this is great for setting a plant down on the inside of it. They can also be used as laundry baskets, or for storing larger items.
These baskets fit perfectly into any existing cube storage organizer and have inserts to keep them nice and sturdy.
A jute basket like this can be handy all over the house. They are light weight and can store towels, toys, and more.
Additionally, Etsy is a great place to find beautiful vintage or handmade baskets.
Other posts you may enjoy:
Modern Farmhouse Kitchen Transformation: From Drab to Gorgeous
14 Frugal Homesteading Blogs: Homestead Living Tips
Start and Maintain a Community Garden
I use a smaller narrow for cd’s and i use a bigger bulky one for magazines and love one that i use for rolls on sunday dinner.They are great for everything. Love your posts.
They are! And thank you!