5 Simple Ways to Make Your Kitchen More Sustainable

  • Dec 14, 2020

If you're anything like me, you've been in the kitchen cooking and baking up a storm and pretending you're on your way to becoming the next Top Chef. While that clearly won't be my future career path, I can say that I've spent a majority of my time in the kitchen while stuck at home during the pandemic and have picked up on how much waste we create in the kitchen without even realizing it -- Paper towels, Ziploc bags, Saran wrap, plastic grocery bags, and plastic cutlery are all the single-use items I have seen being delivered along with my grocery and food deliveries and it hurts my heart to see all this unnecessary waste being used so thoughtlessly.

 

Here are some simple replacements and changes you can use and make at home in your own kitchen and even practice while out shopping at your grocery store or dining out at restaurants that are not only be more sustainable, but also economical as well!

 

1. Replacing Saran Wrap with Organ Cotton Beeswax Wrap

Bee's Wrap is made with certified organic cotton that is coated with sustainably sourced beeswax, organic jojoba oil, and tree resin. this makes for an easy, reusable, all-natural way to store food. Bee's Wrap is a washable, reusable, and compostable, fully sustainable, alternative to plastic wrap. So say goodbye to Saran wrap and hello to the zero-waste future of Beeswrap! 

 

2. Using Cotton Mesh Produce Bags and Recycled PET Shopping Totes instead of Plastic Bags

Mesh produce bags keeps fruits and vegetables fresh longer than plastic bags with its breathable fabric that allows ethylene gas to escape, so they'll actually help keep your produce fresh longer too. Recycled PET and canvas tote bags make great sustainable grocery bag replacements for single-use plastic shopping bags as well - they can be machine washed and reused for years of grocery shopping. RPET plastic is also much sturdier than plastic and you can use few larger recycled shopping tote bags instead of multiple small plastic bags.

TIP: If you absolutely need to use single-use plastic bags, be sure to turn it into a reusable bag by using it as a small trash bag in your car or bathroom before finally discarding it

 

3. Replace Single-Use Plastic Cutlery & Straws with Bamboo

If you’ve been ordering in meals for the last few months the I’m sure you’ve accumulated a few too many plastic spoons, forks, and knives, that have now taken over your utensil drawer. You can reuse and hand wash plastic cutlery a couple of times to make it reusable before throwing it out for good. Bamboo cutlery and straws have been my daily go-to cutlery and most used utensils in the kitchen because it's sustainable, durable, cute designs and patterns, and can be cleaned for multiple uses!  

 

4. Replacing Plastic Sandwich Bags with Reusable Silicone Food Storage Bags

Whether you are headed back to the office or working for home, you’re still whipping up lunches and snacks for you and the rest of your hungry household during quarantine. Instead of plastic sandwich and snack bags try using reusable foo-grade silicone food storage bags. These eco-friendly bags are refrigerator, oven, microwave, dishwasher safe and can withstand hot temperate foods.

 

5. Grow your Own Herb Garden

There’s no time like a Pandemic to see if you have a green thumb. We all need some fresh air and hobbies outside of our homes throughout the day to stay sane, so why not make it a family affair and start a mini garden in the backyard or on the windowsill in your apartment! Grab some seeds of your favorite fruits and vegetables and start planting. There’s nothing fresher or more sustainable than harvesting your own homegrown food for gourmet farm-to-table meals. Not only will your taste buds be delighted, but you’ll be spending more time the the ones your love most during such an unsettling time.