Building out a zero-waste kitchen might seem intimidating at first, but we are here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be! With green living becoming more and more common throughout the world, there are more solutions to be found than ever before. And stylish ones, too! We have a few standard practices that can help get you started on your journey:
1. Start your morning with a sustainable coffee fix. Buy your coffee in bulk, grind it yourself at home, and use a french press or pour over system to brew a fresh waste-free cup! Once you’re finished, just toss the grounds into your compost bin or even directly in soil as a pH neutral fertilizer and natural pesticide.
2. Not a coffee person? If what you crave in the morning is a cup of tea, you can buy this in bulk as well. Find a loose leaf option that tickles your taste buds, pop it in a stainless steel infuser, and brew with hot water from a stovetop kettle!
3. Buy in bulk for all of your pantry goods! (Seeing a trend here?) Bulk food is simply food that is not sold in plastic bags, but in large bins for you to scoop from! Most grocery stores have some sort of bulk section now, but finding the best one near you may just be a matter of a quick google search. Bring your own jar or other zero waste container, fill it up, write down the number of the product, and check out as normal. Just make sure you’ve weighed your container before filling it up so the cashier can deduct the weight from the total!
4. Buy from farmers markets or from local producers via an online service when you can. And remember, no shopping trip is complete without bringing along your reusable grocery bags!
5. Prep to-go meals with sustainable flair. There are so many products that help with food prep. Stainless steel containers, Beeswax, reusable sandwich bags and snack bags, and bamboo utensil kits are all wonderful options. If you already have tupperware, however, don’t toss it quite yet. Once its been used enough that it’s reached the end of it’s lifespan, check if it’s recyclable in your area and where you can drop it off.
6. Compost, compost, compost! Composting is one of the biggest ways to reduce your home’s carbon footprint. And luckily, you don’t need a huge space to do it! You can choose from Bokashi bins, vermicomposters, high tech composters, and more. Check out this indoor composter article for some in-depth reviews of the various compositing options out there.
7. Zero waste kitchen cleaning is easier now than it has ever been! We of course love our Dishwasher Pods for keeping you jug-free, but did you know that our Household Oxi Booster pods can be dissolved in a bucket of water and used to clean any surface in the home? Pretty neat! For more zero waste items, check out this plastic free sponge, bamboo pot scrubber brush, and course loofah.
8. When you do have leftover containers from anything that might enter your home, use our recycling guide to recycle!
An added bonus to shifting to these practices is also achieving a clean, minimalist look in your pantry and on your countertops, with food and tools that don’t carry busy labels on them. Remember that while this list may be long, your transition to a waste-free kitchen doesn’t have to happen all at once! Every small change can make a huge difference. Start today!