A kitchen can be a place where many resources are used, including energy, food, and water. Therefore, it makes sense that it’s also a good spot for a sustainable transformation. To that end, read on to find out some of the cleverest ways to make your kitchen more eco-friendly.
Recycle
First of all, you can make your kitchen more eco-friendly by setting yourself up to make recycling easy. You can do this by ensuring that you have proper storage bins for each type of recycling that needs to be separated. These bins need to be accessed just as easily as your garbage bins, so locating them in the same place can work well. You can even get combination garbage and recycling bins that have separate containers for each type of waste.
When shopping for recycling bins, make sure you also choose ones that are easy to maintain and clean as well. Removing them from their outer housing so they can be emptied needs to be fast and simple. They also need to be easy to clean, so they keep your kitchen odour-free as well.
Reuse
Another way you can make your kitchen a more sustainable one is to reuse as much as you can. By reusing items, you stop them from getting into landfills, and you prevent the energy and resource wastage associated with having a brand-new item to use.
One great example of reusing items in the kitchen is to save plastic take-out containers, wash them thoroughly and then reuse them for storing leftovers in the fridge. Similarly, instead of sending your old jam jars to the recycling bin, why not wash them out and reuse them for your canning projects or to store small items that need to be organised.
Repair
You can also make your kitchen more eco-friendly by choosing to repair things rather than throwing them away. The good news is that there are probably quite a few things you will be able to repair in your kitchen when they stop working or get worn out.
Appliances are always a good candidate for this, and many people specialise in repairing these professionally. The good news is that it’s nearly always cheaper to get an appliance repaired than it is to invest in a brand new one, and you’ll be doing your bit for the environment as well.
Other things that can be repaired include radios, soft furnishing items like curtains, cushions, and tablecloths. You can even repair a crocker that has become cracked or broken. Although you may wish to keep it for decoration rather than heavy use afterwards.
Cut food waste
If you want your kitchen to be a more sustainable one, then cutting food waste is also a crucial action. The best way to reduce the amount of fresh food you throw away at the end of the week is to carefully plan your meals beforehand and only shop for the ingredients you will need.
You can also use techniques such as collecting up all the vegetables that are left at the end of the week, cooking them up to make stock or soup that can be frozen to be eaten later.
Lastly, be sure that you have a scraps bin, where any food waste can be stored instead of placing it in the normal garbage. By doing this, you can then use these food scraps on your compost pile to nurture your garden and grow more veggies!
Minimise energy use
One of the smartest ways you can make your kitchen a more sustainable space is to reduce the amount of energy you use. Happily, there are several ways you can do this, including choosing the most energy-efficient appliances you can afford. Indeed, the more energy efficient an appliance such as a cooker, washing machine, the more energy and money you will save while running them!
Additionally, it’s important to consider the layout of your kitchen in terms of energy efficiency. Oftentimes, we have tables or chairs covering over HVAC systems, which makes it harder for them to efficiently heat or cool a room, so it makes sense to consider this when placing items in your kitchen.
Make your cleaning solutions, food and drinks
Yep, the DIY approach is another great way to ensure your kitchen is as sustainable as possible. This is because by DIYing these things, you can control what goes into them and avoid more heavily processed and toxic ingredients in favor of more natural ones.
For example, with a simple lemon, you have a good base for a kitchen cleaner; you can add it to water and then chill, and even juice to be used in salad dressing and cooking. Then all you will be left with is the biodegradable lemon peel and pith, which can be added to your compost pile.
Pick more sustainable products
If DIYing your kitchen products, food, and drink is a bit much, choosing more sustainable pre-made options for your kitchen can also be very helpful.
Happily, many providers now understand just how important sustainability is to their customers. This has led them to create and distribute much more sustainable products, such as eco-friendly kitchen cleaners, recycled kitchen roll, as well as sustainably sourced and packaged foods and drinks.
Indeed, it’s now possible to get even the most simple and essential of products, like bottled spring water, in more sustainable forms. With some organisations using specially designed bottles to reduce shipping waste, making a positive environmental impact on a large scale.
Focus on the responsible disposal of old kitchen appliances
You probably already know that some kitchen appliances, such as refrigerators and freezers, contain gases and refrigerants that can be toxic to the environment. That is why it’s so important that you make sure you dispose of any of these appliances properly.
What that means is they cannot go into normal waste or garbage. Instead, you will need to speak with your local council to find out where these appliances can be dropped off to ensure proper disposal. In some cases, a council may even come and pick such items up for you so they can be safely degassed, and the rest of the components properly recycled.
