In kitchens all over the world families and friends gather to cook, chat, laugh, and eat. Kitchens can reflect the very best of humanity by providing folks with warmth, nourishment, and community. But they can also have a more sinister side. Of all the tasks involved in daily living, kitchen-based activities account for some of the highest household waste production. Thankfully, with some simple and inexpensive swaps, anyone can create a more sustainable kitchen, and an overall happier, healthier home. Here’s a few tips on how to get started:
Switch Out Single-Use Items
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Use Cloth Instead of Paper Towels or paper napkins. Lightweight kitchen towels or cloth napkins make a fantastic substitute for disposable paper products. Cloth napkins may seem extravagant for every-day use, but they’re easily thrown into the wash with your regular laundry, and actually absorb liquids better than any paper towel on the market.
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Switch to Silicone Baking Mats rather than lining pans with parchment paper or tin foil. These non-stick, heat-resistant mats last for bake after bake while also ensuring that your cookies come out just right.
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Switch to a Wooden Dish Brush: your kitchen sponge is what makes your kitchen harbour more microbes. Dish brushes are just as effective at cleaning as sponges, last longer, and are completely plastic free. You can compost the bristles when you’re done.
Replace Plastics
4. Bring Cloth Shopping Bags. By now anyone who cares about sustainability knows how wasteful plastic shopping bags are. The trick is remembering to bring the reusable bags into the store.
5. Opt for Glass Storage over plastic containers. Ditching plastic has a plethora of benefits in addition to helping the environment. For one, storing leftovers in microwave-safe glassware keeps food free from trace plastic chemicals. Plus, from mason jars to candy dishes, glass just looks so much classier.
Source Sustainable Grocery
6. Buy Staples in Bulk to reduce plastic packaging. Most plastic food packaging isn’t recyclable. Besides, something might as well go into all of those pretty glass storage containers we swapped out, right?
7. Support Local Agriculture by shopping farmer’s markets and produce stands. Buying local uses less fossil fuel by preventing the need for cross-country shipping and directly supports farmers in your community. Many farmer’s markets include fresh, local produce, meat, dairy, and even artisan products like homemade jams and raw honey.
By implementing these seven simple swaps, families set the stage for a low-waste life. As most of you know, a cozy kitchen turns a house into a home, a more sustainable kitchen turns a conventional house into a greener home.
