ZERO WASTE KITCHEN ESSENTIALS TO HELP YOU LIVE MORE SUSTAINABLY
Looking to live a more sustainable lifestyle through a less wasteful kitchen? Look no further! We've got plenty of tips to help you get started on this eco-friendly journey. Typically, less or zero waste lifestyles center around reducing single-use plastics/packaging, food waste and product consumption. Thankfully, these goals can be accomplished through many different practices in the kitchen. Whether you go full home garden with compost systems, or simply ditch the paper towels and plastic bags, you're helping to keep trash out of our oceans and landfills. Long story short, you’re making a difference.
As with any new sustainable lifestyle endeavor, sometimes it’s best to take your time and start small, building up to big changes. Trying to take on everything all at once will surely leave you feeling overwhelmed and discouraged. Luckily, waste reduction can be pretty easy and a few small shifts can make large waves. If that's not convincing enough, we've compiled a list of zero waste kitchen products to make these lifestyle changes even easier! Check out some of our favorite's below to learn how to properly set up your zero waste kitchen.
Zero Waste Kitchen Essentials to Help You Live More Sustainably
Refillables
Consider how many kitchen products (or even cleaning products in general) come in plastic packaging. If everyone were to simply refill one designated bottle for each product, the environmental significance would be massive. As a country, we’re likely pretty far from facilitating that change - but you can start now!
Glass Spray Bottles
Invest in a pack of glass spray bottles and ditch the plastic-packaged, toxic cleaning sprays. Simply label each bottle and fill with your DIY kitchen cleaning solutions. If you're not ready to get mixing just yet, there are specialty stores that will fill up reusable bottles with safe and natural cleaning solutions for purchase.
OR simply invest in one of My Kitchen and Me’s environmentally-friendly cleaning alternatives! Click here to check out our Meliora All-Purpose Home Cleaner, the JAWS Kitchen Cleaner Starter Kit and Disinfectant Cleaner Starter Kit.
Refillable Soap Pump or Bar Soap
Buying your dish soap in bulk and simply refilling the bottle is a sustainable alternative that will ultimately save you a lot of money. You may choose to purchase dish soap from a specialty store with refillable products, although this option can get pricey and you may not be able to locate such a store in your area.
The easier option is simply purchasing locally-made bar soap from your grocery store or farmers market!
Funnels
If you're going to be refilling a lot of bottles and jars, you'll need a good funnel. You may even consider purchasing a nice set of varying sizes to make sure you'll be ready for any container. Funnels are often made of thick plastic, but there are also plastic free options, such as stainless steel or aluminum. Shop around and find what sizes, cost, and materials seem like the best option for you.
Reusable Food Storage
Products like Ziploc bags and plastic wrap are extremely popular for storing leftover food. Even single-use meal prep or takeaway containers are fairly common options. Obviously, these products are huge culprits when it comes to plastic consumption and kitchen waste. If your goal is a zero waste kitchen, a reusable food storage plan is a must.
Glass Jars
Invest in some - or better yet, clean and repurpose - jelly jars, sauce jar or Mason jars. These are great for storing food, spices, leftover sauces, homemade jams and even pickling veggies. If you want to get really into it (and pick up a whole new hobby), canning is a great way to reduce food and packaging waste. It’s also convenient, cost effective, healthy and fun!
Beeswax Food Wrap
Wax wraps are a great plastic free and reusable alternative to cling wrap. Relatively inexpensive with a lifespan of about a year, beeswax wrap is a great option for packaging sandwiches and other compact food items. Tin foil and parchment paper are also plastic free options, but these are lacking the long lifespan of beeswax wrap.
Tupperware
Chances are, you've probably already acumulated a cupboard (or two) filled with mismatched lids and Tupperware containers. However, as convenient and cost-effective as these plastic containers may be, there are better alternatives when it comes to the environment.
Consider upping your game to glass food storage containers. Although they’re a bit pricier, these are long-lasting and 100% safe for hot foods and microwaving. You can finally put your mind at ease about those pesky microplastics and plastic carcinogens! Stainless steel containers are also a great option since they’re lightweight and shatterproof - just be sure to keep these out of the microwave.
Reusable Food Bags
Let’s ditch Ziplock once-and-for-all by investing in reusable food bags! Although these can be a pain to clean, they're durable, lightweight, convenient, basically impossible to break and most importantly - sustainable. When it comes to your zero waste kitchen, reusable food bags are a must-have.
Easy Swaps
Creating a waste free kitchen may seem daunting, but small steps will add up to big changes. Many of your go-to kitchen items can easily be swapped out for a more eco-friendly alternative, without disrupting your lifestyle.
Reusable Coffee Filters
This one’s a no-brainer! Just one reusable coffee filter will replace hundreds of paper filters. Simply rinse between uses and you're good to go. Save money, reduce waste and never run out of coffee filters again.
Stainless Steel Straws
Straws are technically an unnecessary item, but if you can't live without 'em, invest in one or two stainless steel straws. Do your best not to lose them because these straws are reusable, unbreakable, easily cleaned and long-lasting.
Dish Brushes
Ditch the plastic sponges and invest in some dish brushes! Store bought sponges often come in plastic packaging, easily trap bacteria and have a short lifespan. A dish brush cleans better, stays more sanitary and lasts longer. Try out wooden dish brushes for maximum sustainability, since these will quickly decompose when you're through with them.
Another option, for those who looove their sponges, is My Kitchen and Me’s Compostable Dish Sponges. Click here to shop these biodegradable, organic sponges made from the loofah vegetable!
Rags, Towels and Cloth Napkins
There's no need for paper towels when you can so easily clean and reuse cloth napkins. You can even have some fun shopping around for cute towels to match your kitchen! Cloth towel options like My Kitchen and Me’s Flour Sack Towels are a great way to reduce your paper consumption and keep kitchen waste down.
Biodegradable Garbage Bags
Did you know that plastic bags can take up to 1,000 years to break down? Now multiply that by every garbage bag you’ve ever used. We’re guessing that number is pretty high.
Instead, swap out your traditional garbage bags with a biodegradable alternative - like these heavy duty trash bags by My Kitchen and Me Online! Not only are these bags fully biodegradable, but they’re also non-toxic and only cost $14.05 for a roll of 25.
Paper Sandwich Bags
It’s easy to grab a box of Ziploc bags at the grocery store. So easy, that most people have become accustomed to having a handy box of plastic sandwich bags easily accessible in their kitchens. As convenient as they may be, Ziploc bags are definitely not an eco-friendly option and will not help you achieve your zero waste kitchen.
Next time you go grocery shopping, choose a bag of paper sandwich bags instead of plastic Ziploc. These bags are just as convenient and much more environmentally friendly!
Other Helpful Practices & Products
Composting
Although it can be a commitment, composting can be a very effective way to keep kitchen waste to a minimum. If you don't have the financial means, or simply aren't ready to invest in a home composter, check out your local composting services. Many communities will offer compost pickup services or you can drop your compost off yourself at a collection station. Simply store food waste and other compostable material in a designated container to be picked up or dropped off!
If you’re ready to give composting a try at home, check out our guide to composting in an apartment without worms!
Water Filtration
Skip the water bottles or filter jugs and find a more permanent, and eco-friendly method of water filtration. Some refrigerators will filter your water, otherwise you can purchase a filter installation for your entire home water system. Faucet attachments and countertop dispensers are other good options for your zero waste kitchen!
Keep in mind, these methods vary drastically when it comes to cost, usage, maintenance and personal preference. You'll want to shop around and consider what is best for you and your family!
Tea Strainer or French Press
We covered all the downsides of disposable tea bags in our blog post, “The Best Eco-Friendly Tea to Keep Your Mornings Sustainable.” To put it simply, avoid microplastics, carcinogens and plastic waste by switching to a tea strainer (or french press) and loose leaf tea.
Now that you’ve got the essentials down, you may be wondering…is zero waste worth the hassle?
The short answer is YES. A zero waste kitchen is extremely beneficial to your health, your family’s health and the future of our planet. Much like other sustainable lifestyle changes, a zero waste kitchen not only keeps harmful substances out of our ecosystem, but it helps to keep them out of your body as well.
It's no secret that you can't save the world by yourself, but every effort counts. Spread the word and we can all pitch in together - one step at a time.
If you enjoyed these zero waste kitchen essentials, be sure to follow @mykitchenandmeonline on Instagram for more eco-friendly tips and tricks for living sustainably.