Continuing with our HOW TO series is the 8 tips for a greener kitchen! There are many ways to turn your kitchen into an eco-conscious one, but we have listed our top 8 tips that we think can be easily implemented today! Here we go:
- Buy local
Supporting local businesses is very sustainable for the environment. Buying local means your food doesn’t have to travel as far to get to your kitchen—helping reduce the carbon emissions from transportation.
8 tips for a greener kitchen
Written by David Lelouche
2021-10-10
Continuing with our HOW TO series is the 8 tips for a greener kitchen! There are many ways to turn your kitchen into an eco-conscious one, but we have listed our top 8 tips that we think can be easily implemented today! Here we go!
1. Buy local
Supporting local businesses is very sustainable for the environment. Buying local means your food doesn’t have to travel as far to get to your kitchen—helping reduce the carbon emissions from transportation.
2. Make use of food scraps
Rather than throwing out food scraps, get a second use out of them by creating something new. Add leftovers from meal prep to make a broth or stew. Or make nutrient-rich soil conditioner for your plants using leftover fruit peels, veggies, and eggshells.
Do not throw your ripe bananas away! You can freeze them and use them later to make banana bread or a yummy smoothie.
3. Prepare your own meals
Instead of sitting down to pre-packaged frozen meals, be a chef and start preparing your own meals with fresh ingredients. This will help cut down on the amount of packaging you’d usually be buying (and throwing away). Not to mention homemade meals made with fresh ingredients taste better and are healthier for you. We’ve got some delicious recipes on our blog, but there are so many recipes out there for you to try no matter your skill level.
4. Buy in bulk
Buy in bulk when you’re purchasing herbs, spices, pasta, nuts, and other ingredients. Like preparing your own meals, buying in bulk helps reduce the waste from overly packaged food products. Go the extra step by bringing your own reusable storage containers, like glass mason jars.
5. Use reusable materials
Reduce the amount of plastic in your kitchen by switching to reusable materials. Replace plastic sandwich bags with mason jars or glass storage containers, and swap plastic shopping bags for reusable totes.
6. Recycle
Get in the habit of recycling by having a dedicated bin for recyclables in your kitchen. Keep an eye out for plastics with recycling codes #1 and #2 (including containers like soft drinks, salad dressing, milk jugs, and shampoos)—these ones belong in the recycle bin!
#1 is HDPE (High density polyethylene) which is usually used to make milk jugs, shampoo bottles, cleaning products containers and detergent bottles.
#2 is PETE (Polyethylene terephthalate) generally used for single-used bottled beverages.
7. Use glass storage containers
Many plastic containers are made from non-renewable resources like petroleum. Swap your plastic storage containers for more eco-friendly alternatives like glass containers. Bonus: they’ll last longer than those plastic containers and hold less bacteria.
8. Use a compost bin
Around 70% of household and yard waste can be composted instead of thrown in the trash. Instead of throwing out your kitchen leftovers, gather them in a green bin and compost them. This includes fruit and veggie scraps, coffee grounds, bread, crackers and the list goes on.
A cool item you could get for your kitchen is a little machine called Lomi, it speeds up the breakdown of organic waste into smaller fragments- like how earthworms break down and mix plant tissue into soil.
This device is completely odour free; you will also be able to use the end result as a soil nutrient for your plants.
