There are plenty of ways you can easily reduce the amount of waste in your home. For example, you can use less plastic and disposable items, or make sure you don’t have to throw away leftover food. You can also reuse plastic bags or go for a more sustainable option by buying a linen shopping bag. When striving for a more sustainable life, the kitchen can be a great start. That’s why we give you 5 tips for a waste-free kitchen!
1. Be creative, save money and reduce waste
There are several ways you can do this:
- Have you made too much food? Don’t throw away the leftovers! By keeping leftovers, you still have some food in the house for the next day. It’s also a great opportunity to let your creativity run wild and turn your leftovers into a whole new meal.
- Some products have long cooking times. You can therefore choose to cook them when you have the time and keep them in the fridge. If you’re in a hurry, you can easily take them out of the fridge for a quick meal!
- Cook more from the base. Of course, you don’t have to make your own bread, yoghurt or fresh pasta for the whole family right away. Start quietly: take into account your own schedule, skills and needs.
- Discover the market, local greengrocers, organic products and seasonal produce. These products are usually not packaged. This way you avoid unnecessary waste production.
- Do you have any empty jars left? Recycle them and give them a new life!
- Try to buy as many products as possible without packaging. If you do buy products with packaging, see how much of it you need. For example, if you need a lot of a product, you can often buy it in a large family pack instead of many small quantities in different packs.
Source: Shutterstock2. Bring your own bag
When you go to the supermarket you can buy a plastic bag on the spot to take your groceries with you. But, to avoid waste, it’s a better idea to bring a reusable bag. This can be an ordinary plastic bag, but it can also be a more durable linen bag. Keep it at home and/or in your car, so you always have a bag at hand.
3. Recycle
Sort your waste: Provide different bins for different waste products so they can be recycled. Not sure if something can be recycled? Ask the municipality or look on the internet for information specific to your city/area.
4. Save on disposables
We are talking about paper handkerchiefs, cling film, aluminium foil, plastic bags, disposable plates/cups, etc. First think about how many of these products you use on a daily basis and then think about reusable alternatives. Here are some examples:
- Buy a Bee’s wrap foil. This is a durable foil made from beeswax. Moreover, you can use this foil over and over again!
- Use a reusable baking mat.
- Make sure you always have a tea towel or sponge nearby. This makes it easier to use a cloth instead of kitchen paper when you mess around.
- Purchase a number of well-sealable trays to store leftover food. This way you don’t have to use foil.
- What do you use when packing lunch? What can you change? A couple of examples: change disposable cutlery for reusable cutlery (e.g. a bamboo set) and bring a disposable coffee cup for when you get a ‘coffee on the go’.
Source: Shutterstock5. Give “ugly” fruit and vegetables a chance!
It is tempting to go for the beautiful apple on which no imperfections or damage can be seen. But every time we do this, we send the message to the food producers that we don’t want to eat imperfect fruit or vegetables. These ugly ducklings are then thrown away. So avoid extra waste and go for that imperfect apple!
