When thinking of sustainability in the kitchen, our thoughts quickly go to healthy, locally-grown foods. However, this is not the only lens we should be looking through when greening our kitchens. Apart from the food we store, prepare, and eat in it, there are other aspects that we should be practicing sustainability in, such as food storage and kitchen cleaning.
The goal is to be zero-waste in our lifestyle, and if we are already buying natural food with little or no packaging, and reusing or recycling what we can, we should be left only with organic waste which can either go in the backyard composter or in the green bin. However, even these can be minimized with easy swaps which are good for the environment (and for your wallet too!)
NO: Plastic Wrap
YES: Abeego Wrap
Plastic wrap cannot be recycled and therefore is something you want to avoid buying in the first place. Cling wrap can easily be replaced with Abeego Beeswax Wrap. Use it to cover bowls with left overs, store ends of fruits and vegetables, or to wrap your sandwiches with. It's waterproof and can be molded to fit the shape that you need, all the while safely and securely storing your food, just as cling wrap would have. Abeego sheets can last for months, if not years, making them a more sustainable alternative to the plastic that usually has to be thrown out after just one use.
NO: Wax Paper
YES: Baking Mat
Do you use wax paper to line your baking sheets when making your favourite cookies or pastries? You can easily eliminate the need for this difficult to dispose of paper by simply replacing it with a silicone baking mat. This mat can stand very high temperatures in the oven, is non-stick, and is easy to clean after each use. As a bonus, it can be used as a surface protector during the prep phase as well, protecting your counters and table from potential damage!
NO: Paper Towel
YES: EcoScrubby
How many rolls of paper towel do you go through in a week? In a month? It might be time to ditch the addiction and adapt a more sustainable (not to mention affordable) way to deal with spills. For example, the euroScrubby dishcloth is a super absorbent little towel which can be used over and over again, reducing your household's need for disposable paper towels.
NO: Plastic Straws
YES: Metal Straws
Straws are a lot of fun do drink from, and if you don't think so, chances are your kids do! So whether you use them on a daily basis or for the occasional cocktail, metal straws are a classy and sustainable alternative to plastic ones. If cleaning them (there are brushes made for this) seems like too much of a hassle, old-school paper ones are still a better choice than plastic straws.
NO: Plastic Bag Lunch Bags
Yes: Cute Reusable Lunch Containers
Our society went from brown bagging to plastic bagging things. Though schools have smartened up and made parents think twice about the waste they were putting in kids' lunches, their own lunches often don't follow suit. There are so many options available for packing lunches, from stainless steel containers, to fun bento boxes, this is an easy way to eliminate a lot of plastic wrap, bags, ziplocks, and more.
NO: Dish Soap Bottles
YES: Refillable Dish Soap Bottles
It's true that you can recycle your dish soap container once it's empty, but it's better if you can eliminate that as well! When you refill your containers, it makes getting a new container unnecessary, as all you really need is the inside contents anyway, right? We love the idea of refilling dish soap pumps and we offer refill stations at our stores for especially this reason. And since you aren't getting a new bottle, we offer a discount as well!
As you can see, it doesn't take much to make your kitchen a lot closer to being zero-waste. Paired with conscious food buying and good sorting habits, you'll be on your way to leaving nothing but a green legacy on this planet!
Shop your Zero Waste Kitchen Essentials at your local Mrs.Greenway store or online!