Are you searching for tips on how to be more eco friendly in the kitchen? Read on to check out some of our simple sustainable tips to help make your kitchen habits more earth-friendly.
TIP 1: Switch kitchen spray for a kitchen spray concentrate bar
Not sure where to start when it comes to making your kitchen more sustainable? Open up the cupboard under your sink and take a good look at your cleaning products. Chances are, most of them are packed in plastic. Switching to plastic-free cleaning products is one of the most impactful decisions you can make, and there's no better place to begin than your kitchen spray.
Did you know that most liquid kitchen sprays are padded out with a substantial amount of water? When you switch to a concentrate bar, you can add the water yourself and make up the liquid in your own reusable or repurposed spray bottle. This avoids the need to consume a new plastic bottle each time you buy more kitchen spray.
Wondering how you can make your own kitchen spray from a concentrate bar? It's easy! Snap the block into triangles along the indented lines. Place pieces in a heat proof jug, jar or bowl. Pour 325mL of boiling water over the pieces and stir until all of the pieces have melted and are well combined. Leave for 10 minutes to cool slightly. Pour into a spray bottle that you already own, and you're ready to go!
The Sweet Orange kitchen spray concentrate bar from Ethique is made with natural ingredients and is packaged in compostable cardboard packaging.
Ethique Multi-Purpose Kitchen Spray Concentrate - $9.00
TIP 2: Swap regular scouring pads for coconut scourers
While we're on the topic of eco friendly cleaning products, have you thought about alternatives to your standard kitchen scourers and scouring pads?
Ecococonut are an awesome business that create eco-friendly scourers for all of your kitchen cleaning needs, and are a great sustainable alternative to a traditional sponge.
Their coconut scrub pads and round coconut scourers are 100% compostable. They are made from biodegradable and sustainably farmed coconut husks (ie, the outside of dried coconuts) and natural tapped tree rubber.
Ecococonut also made coconut bottle brushes and dish brushes - all of these products are completely free from plastic and will help you on your way to achieving a truly sustainable kitchen.
Ecococonut Scourer Scrub Pads (2 pack) - $5.95
TIP 3: Use your dishwasher to save water (yes, you read that right!)
Did you know? A German study recently found that a full dishwasher load uses about 13 litres of water on average to wash 144 items. If you washed the same amount of items by hand, this would use approximately 100 litres of water on average.
Use your dishwasher to reduce the amount of water you use in the kitchen. Keep in mind, this will only save water usage if you wash a full load of dishes, so if you've only got a couple to wash, you may be better off washing them by hand as your most sustainable option.
If you do need to wash by hand, you can minimise your water usage by placing a jug under the tap while waiting for the water to heat up, and using the colder water on all your indoor plants.
TIP 4: Waste not, want not
Did you know that food waste accounts for approximately 3% of Australia’s annual greenhouse gas emissions? This may be a scary statistic, however what it does mean is that small steps to reduce your household food waste can have a massive impact on your carbon footprint.
My Zero-Waste Kitchen shows you how to put the three R's - reduce, reuse, recycle - into practice in the kitchen. Discover how to shop wisely to avoid food wastage, learn which foods you can freeze, and teach yourself how to turn your scraps into delicious dishes and snacks such as falafel, pesto, and even cake.
Handy tips and tricks in this book will help you to avoid wasting food and live sustainably without making huge changes, and guide you to a sustainable kitchen, with advice on food storage, growing herbs, and meal-planning tips.
My Zero-Waste Kitchen - $19.95
TIP 5: Swap cling wrap for beeswax wraps and food covers
When preparing your picnic-perfect feast, avoid using cling wrap to cover your sandwiches, rolls and snacks, and instead use some reusable beeswax wraps!
Beeswax wraps are a fantastic alternative to single-use plastic food storage options such as cling wrap. Rather than being used once and then thrown away, beeswax wraps can be used again and again. Once your wrap has reached the end of its life (each wrap lasts about a year) you can simply dig a hole in your backyard and bury it. Unlike plastic it is a bio-degradable product and will return to the Earth without a trace.
Bee Green Wraps have an awesome starter pack of beeswax wraps which contains four wraps in different sizes - small, medium, large & extra large, which means you'll be sorted for all of the different bits and bobs in your picnic basket. Shop the Bee Green Wraps range here.
Bee Green Beeswax Wraps Starter Pack - $30.00
We hope these simple tips will help you on your way to achieving a more sustainable kitchen and home.
Have a sustainable day,
The Simple Sustainable Store xx