Going green can seem a bit intimidating at first, but it doesn’t have to be if you follow my 5 easy swaps for a greener kitchen. You don’t have to go full-on zero-waste right away and you don’t have to be perfect at it either. You just need to tweak a few of your habits until they become your new habits. Here are some easy switches in your kitchen to make it “greener”.
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Table of Contents
Swaps for a Greener Kitchen Tip 1: Swap out Plastic Wraps for Beeswax Wraps.
The first thing I did with my “zero waste experiment” stopped buying plastic wraps and plastic baggies. I was very surprised at how quickly I got used to not using them. By ditching the plastic wraps, I was forced to be creative and use what I had on hand such as reusable containers.
I also made beeswax wraps to replace plastic wrap. They were easy to make and use, and I’m quite happy with them. I’m planning on making more in the future. You can make your own with my easy instructions posted on this beeswax wraps making tutorial, but you can also buy readymade beeswax wraps.
Swaps for a Greener Kitchen Tip 2: Swap Out Synthetic Sponge For Dishcloth
Synthetic kitchen sponges, (you know, the soft yellow ones) are full of bacteria, and they are terrible for the environment. They are made of polyurethane, and may also contain polyester (on the scrubby side), which makes them non-biodegradable, they’ll stick around for hundreds of years.
There are many green alternatives to the kitchen sponge. You can use a dishcloth or a wooden dish brush, and if you are stuck on sponges, a loofah can be another alternative (you can grow your own but I haven’t tried that myself)!
Swaps for a Greener Kitchen Tip 3: Swap out Packaging & Buy in Bulk
Another great swap for a greener kitchen is ditching the packaging. Buying in bulk without packaging is a great way to save money, reduce waste, and help the environment. By eliminating unnecessary packaging materials, you can drastically reduce your costs while also reducing your impact on the environment.
Shopping this way also helps reduce trash and landfills by using recyclable items or eliminating waste altogether. In addition to these environmental benefits, buying in bulk also allows you to enjoy greater savings as many stores give discounts for larger quantities of purchases.
Before you make the switch, there are a few tips that can help you get the most out of your shopping trip.
- Bring your own bags or containers with you when shopping and take advantage of possible discounts that grocery stores offer for bringing your own container.
- Do some comparison shopping to determine whether certain items are cheaper in loose form versus pre-packaged options.
- Check expiration dates on bulk items as they may be at risk of going bad faster without packaging to protect them.
Read more tips on how to get started on zero-waste shopping.
Swaps for a Greener Kitchen Tip 4: Swap K-cups For A Reusable Coffee Filter
My fourth swap for a greener kitchen has to do with coffee. I can’t live without coffee. It’s the first thing I reach for when I get up. But, K-cups are probably one of the worst inventions. If we know disposable plastics are creating waste problems… why did they invent this? I’m very happy with my regular ‘ol coffee percolator.
I don’t even use paper coffee filters for it. I have a reusable coffee filter that I’ve been using for the last 7 years. And if you are a Keurig fanatic, that’s OK too, they also have reusable k-cups for them too.
Swaps for a Greener Kitchen Tip 5: Ditch the Mr. Clean, make your all-purpose cleaner
The cleaners we buy at the all come in plastic packaging. You can either go to a zero-waste store, such as the Garden City Essential and bring your containers to be refilled, or you can make your own. You can follow my favourite recipe for an all-purpose cleaner.
So, to sum it up, you can easily have a greener kitchen with these 5 easy swaps, use beeswax wraps instead of plastic wrap, use a dishcloth instead of a sponge, buy in bulk with reusable containers, use reusable coffee filters and make your own cleaners. Once you’ve made these part of your lifestyle, how about finding 5 new ones?
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sponge_(tool)
I hadn’t even thought about what sponges are made of! Good to know about the polyurethane! Makes me feel even better about us switching to dish cloths instead (did that because I’m a germaphobe and wanted to be able to wash my dish rag!).
This is all excellent advice! I feel like I always make mistakes on the way to the best option 😂 like we switched from plastic sponges to those brown “greener clean” sponges (that still have some plastic, just less) and then my Mom gave me a plastic dish brush so I’m committed to using that for the next 10 years 😂 Will get there eventually!
I have a plastic brush too, but use what you have until you need to replace it. Going green is a long process because you don’t want to go out and buy everything new, that in itself wouldn’t be eco friendly.
Yes to all of these! Your suggestions are all pretty straightforward switches, that makes them easier to obtain. It’s crazy how many of the “everyday” items that we’re used to are SO BAD for the environment.
Yes, seems like the bad stuff is built for convenience. It’s a hard habit to break too!
Really helpful! Thank you for sharing this with us 😊
Thank you Kristiane
Nice! I do already all of the above – although i never needed wrapping things so i just never had cling film in the house (no need for the beeswax replacement then). I just bought some silicone sponges, because they are reusable forever and soft so no scratches.. and are much cleaner than traditional sponges. I know they are still made of man made material but i figure that i will not throw them out, whereas traditional natural sponges will eventually end in a landfill ? I am still debating whether i made the best choice, but done now….