11 Easy Steps to an Eco Kitchen
We typically eat 3 meals a day and even if we aren’t eating all at home chances are you have spent time in the kitchen prepping for at least 1 of those meals. The ways we can reduce our waste and help the environment in the kitchen can feel endless and overwhelming. Are you looking to make a shift but can’t figure out where to start? Let's start with the items we use everyday and then later we can focus on food and grocery shopping. Below is a list of 11 ways to help create a more eco-friendly kitchen.
11 ways to Reduce Waste in the Kitchen:
Containers - stainless steel containers, I am obsessed with them. They are a great option for freezing food. They are light enough to pack with you when you go out for food in case you have leftovers to take home. Let’s be honest, the food in Nelson is so good that this is rarely a solution I need.
-Glass containers are better if you want to throw those leftovers in a microwave while reducing your clean up afterwards and they are much more cost efficient.
Coffee and Tea - Coffee: French Presses, pour overs and reusable coffee filters are great waste free solutions.
- Tea: Loose Leaf Tea is the best especially when you can take your own jars to fill up with your favourite teas. In Nelson, this can be done at the Kootenay Co-op. Tea strainers come in every shape and style, reusable tea bags or a fine wire strainer also does the job.
Dish soap - There are some different options. The one that I use is, is to take an empty jar and refill it from a local store. (Nelson- Kootenay Co-op or Taylor and Mae.) This is a really cheap option so not only are you saving waste but money! You can also get soap strips and soap blocks. Both of which I have yet to try but stayed tuned as I give them a go to compare.
Towels and Cloths
Dishcloths - I love using dishcloths especially handmade knitted ones. Swedish dish clothes are also amazing because they last a long time, have a variety of uses and can be composted at the end of their lifecycle. Bristle brushes are good if you are using a soap block.
Paper towel no more - Rags, bar cloths and swedish cloths are great to use rather than paper towel. You can also purchase no paper paper towels from places such as Etsy.
Napkins - What better way to dress up a table while reducing waste than cloth napkins. They come in beautiful colours and designs and you can have a set for every season if you wanted. Keep your eyes open for 100% cotton, hemp and/or bamboo.
Snack Bags - Whether you make your own or buy some, cloth bags are perfect for snacks, sandwiches or to use when buying your produce/bulk. I love mine for packing trail mix for hikes. Cottonwood Kitchens currently has some really light weight bags available for $1 that would be great for grocery shopping.
Beeswax wraps - What more needs to be said. These have been around for a while and a crowd favourite. If you don’t have any yet, time to ditch the cling wrap and get yourself some beeswax wraps. They can be found at most home and kitchen stores. If you are looking for a challenge or just enjoy making items from scratch, you can make them yourself from recycled cotton. Keep in mind that it should be 100% cotton in order to be composted.
Silicone Baking Mat - For baking this replaces the need for parchment paper. You can find compostable parchment but it is still one more thing that needs to be disposed of. I also have a great silicone mat that is just for my countertops while prepping dough. It keeps the countertops clean and makes the clean up a lot quicker and easier.
Reuse - Jars: Whenever you purchase something in a glass jar, you are purchasing so much more than a glass jar. Once the contents are gone simply wash the jar and voila, you now have a new Tupperware, vase, cup, candle jar or anything you can think of.
-Plastic Bags: If you do happen to buy something in plastic or already have a stack full of Ziploc bags laying around the house then just give them a wash and keep on reusing them.
Garbage- What about garbage you ask? Since we are trying to eliminate as much waste as possible, the more effort we put in, the less trash we will produce.
Since I am not trying to fit my waste into a jar every year, I do still need garbage bags. My choice for garbage bags are dog food bags. If I roll them at the top, they fit perfectly into my kitchen garbage bin. This is something I need to buy constantly and is going to be thrown out anyways so why not put it to use. I have also kept bags from toilet paper packages to the bags my new pots and pans came in and use them for garbage around the house. There is also a way to fold newspaper into a garbage bin liner.
I still use the large black garbage bags for street pick up but go through one every few months. (I rarely have meat in the house and my garbage is kept in a utility room meaning it is safe from bears and rarely smells. I know this isn’t always an option for everyone and would like to hear your thoughts and ideas around this) I typically reuse my household garbage bags other than my kitchen one and just empty them into the large bag before garbage pick up.
There is no right or wrong way so start small and with what feels the easiest and best to you and then add new routines into your life one at a time. I am simply sharing what I have found to work the best for me and my life over the years of my journey with the hopes that at least one thing will resonate with you. I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas and what is working best for you and your home.
Written by: Natalie Portlock
