Best ideas for reducing waste in the kitchen
If you’re new into the eco-friendly lifestyle idea then reducing waste at home is one of the first things you should think about. Although we don’t do it intentionally, we often waste things in homes that can be reused or recycled. Wasting it’s not good at all for the environment because a lot of stuff that we’re throwing away can end up in the soil, rivers, or oceans. We are not necessarily talking about biodegradable things, but about those like plastic, glass, or metals.
It’s time to be more aware of the stuff that we’re throwing away. Zero waste living can not only help our environment, but it will also help our pockets. There are many tips and tricks that can help you become a zero-waste master in your own house. In this article, we are going to cover the best ideas for reducing waste in the kitchen. But we are not going to stop here, because in the future we will write more posts about reducing waste at home.
The best ideas for reducing waste in the kitchen
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Use glass jars for storage
Instead of buying flour, nuts, or different types of cereals that are stored in plastic recipients, why don’t we think of another option? These products can be bought in bulk and can be stored in glass jars in the kitchen. You can use cotton muslin bags so you can bring your edibles from the store and then keep them in your jars. The glass jars can be filled over and over again and there will be absolutely no waste.
Not only that the glass jars are great if you think about reducing waste in the kitchen, but they are also very stylish. You can buy them in different designs and you can place them in the open area. A great idea is to make little labels to know what you’re having stored in them. Just think about how cute will your kitchen look with these recipients.
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Switch to reusable bags for fruits and vegetables
By now, you probably brought home lots of plastic bags when you bought fruits and vegetables. You should know now that there is an eco-friendly option for plastic bags. It’s time to switch to reusable bags, especially the organic ones. With reusable bags, there’s no need to use plastic bags that are offered to you at the market.
Reusable bags are very sustainable and can be used for months. You can keep in them your fruits and veggies at home, so when they will be emptied, you can bring them back to the store for a refill. We recommend 100% cotton reusable bags. They are easy to wash, durable, and most important, biodegradable.
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Make a meal plan and stick to it
Before you’re going for shopping make a meal plan. With a plan like that, you will know exactly what ingredients you will need for your food. I know this is very hard, but try to stick to the list every time. When we’re going shopping without a list we tend to buy more stuff than we need. That’s why we usually waste a bunch of food that will eventually be thrown in the garbage because it’s spoiled or simply we do not have an appetite for it anymore.
There are also a couple of tricks for sticking to the shopping list. First, don’t go shopping when you’re hungry. It is proven that by doing that you will buy more junk food that you don’t even need. Also, go shopping by yourself because other people’s cravings may influence you to buy more. If you will be shopping alone you will be more focused on your list and it reduces the risk of making a “mistake”.
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Get rid of the paper towels
By now we were talking more about plastic, but let’s turn our attention to paper for a little bit. Paper towels are not too good for the environment. For producing paper towels is estimated that there are used 110 million of trees every year. We know that deforestation became a big problem lately, as many countries are affected by this issue.
Cloths are more sustainable than paper towels. There are various types of cloths available, but the better ones are those that are 100% biodegradable. Unlike paper towels, cloths can be used over and over again as they are washable. Probably the most eco-friendly ones are made of cotton and bamboo, both being very absorbable and also durable.
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Check the use-by date
Make sure that you always check the use-by date when you’re buying food. Most people often forget doing that and they end up throwing the food away, making a lot of waste. Even if you’re not going to waste it after expires, it’s not really healthy to consume expired food. That’s why you always have to look out for food that you will certainly eat before it expires.
A good idea to not waste the food is to organize your fridge. Just take a quick inventory and prioritize the food that will go out of date soon. Keep that food on the front row of your shelves, so you won’t forget about it. But if you’re not in the mood of eating it before it expires, put it in the freezer so you can enjoy it later.
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Stop buying plastic bottled water
Plastic bottles are very harmful to the environment as they take even 700 years to decompose. Around 80% of used plastic bottles are not recycled and end up in nature. There are better alternatives for them that you should consider.
The best idea is to start drinking tap water. Before doing that, make sure you are going to filter it. You can install a filter right under your sink or you can use water pitchers. These are very effective in filtering the water and you won’t have to worry about your health. Water filtering will save you from buying hundreds of bottles per year, so there’s no wasting. In that way, you will help the environment a lot and you will save some great money.
