Sustainable Swaps for the Kitchen
How satisfying is it when you go to a supermarket and see all the cleaning supplies neatly lined up, all the colours, all the brands, and all different bottles for the different rooms in your house.
What’s not so satisfying, is the amount of single use plastic!!
We’ve all been guilty of stocking up on our kitchen must haves when they’re on offer, but we need to start doing our research for a more sustainable future!
In this blog, we’ll be talking about all the key swaps you can make in your kitchen, to save you money and our lovely planet.
Cleaning Products
I swear my mum used to have a different spray bottle for every inch of the house. But with more knowledge on products and a higher awareness on waste, she bought more multipurpose products and even made her own!
A few key ingredients for at home cleaning products include bicarbonate of soda, white vinegar and lemon juice! If you have these ingredients, you’ll be able to mix up any recipe on the internet.
Top Tip: soak a cloth with white vinegar and leave on the grubby area for 30 mins to an hour (depending on how nasty it is). Remove the cloth and with a paste mixture of bicarbonate of soda and water, give the area a scrub and wait for the SPARKLE!!
Did You Know: cleaning products have a really high water content, so most of what you’re paying for is available in your own home! Brands now offer tablets or concentrated liquids that you can mix with water in a reusable spray bottle, such a Zoflora and gethomethings.com.
Food
It’s great to see lots of brands these days altering their packaging to a more widely recyclable alternative. When you can, aim to buy products that include minimal plastic.
Another great option for reducing plastic consumption is to make your own meals for on the go, so you don’t have to get a daily meal deal. Fancy lunchboxes are even available in supermarkets these days and are super affordable, so find one that suits your styles and take it to work with you! It’s better for the environment and your bank balance!
I’ve seen so many shops recently offering re-fillable products! It’s such a good idea, all you have to do it buy ONE heavy duty container and then refill to your hearts content. Again, it’s more affordable in the long run, so it’s as much of a benefit to you as it is to the environment. Keep a lookout in your local area for shops that offer this service, or click this link - https://thezerowaster.com/zero-waste-near-you/ - for a list of all the places in the UK that supply zero waste products.
Drink
Although it’s convenient to pick up a bottle of your fave drink, why not try a reusable bottle for when you’re on the go! If we all reduce the amount of plastic bottles we buy and use, it will have such a vast improvement on the speed of global warming, and prevent it being washed into the oceans (think of the little sea animals).
FYI: try not to go crazy on the reusable bottles, they take around 300 uses for them to be classed as sustainable! So, buy one you won’t go off and aim to use it every day in a year!
Why not try plastic alternatives? Aim to buy things in glass packaging, so they’re easier to recycle! This one may be a bit tricker, so have a look in your area at places that offer this option, such as milkmen or farm shops.
Let us know your favourite ways to be more sustainable in your kitchen in the comments section below!
Thanks for reading! See you next week!
By Rachel Smith