I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – saying no to plastic doesn’t need to be a dramatic life event. You don’t have to overhaul your entire life, discard everything you own and go live in a tree somewhere. There are plenty of simple zero waste swaps you can make in your day to day life. Last time we tackled zero waste swaps for the bathroom and today we’re focussing on simple zero waste kitchen swaps.
Let’s face it, a lot of waste happens in the kitchen. The good news is, with these simple zero waste kitchen swaps, it doesn’t have to be that way anymore.
1. Shopping bags
An estimated 1 trillion (yes, trillion!) plastic bags are used globally every year. You can help stop the madness by choosing a reusable alternative instead. Most supermarkets in the UK sell reusable plastic bags in store, but there are plenty of chicer, quirkier designs out there to choose from.
2. Paper towels
Replacing single-use paper towels with old rags or tea towels is a quick and easy swap that will save you a small fortune in the long run. Spoiler alert: replacing single-use items with reusable alternatives will pretty much always save you a small fortune in the long run. Hurray!
3. Plastic wrap
Forget wrapping up your leftovers in clingfilm or aluminium foil; there are plenty of zero waste options out there. Reusable containers are easy to stack in the fridge and are perfect for meal-prepping. There are also lots reusable food wraps to choose from too.
4. Sponges
One of the sad realities of adulting is that you have to keep your kitchen clean, unless you want to get e-coli. Luckily, there is a biodegradable alternative to standard kitchen sponges so you can keep your kitchen spick and span without harming the planet.
5. Coffee Filters
“I can’t function without a cup of coffee in the morning” – every grown-up ever. The good news is, coffee filters can be composted along with the used coffee grounds. But, if you don’t have a compost bin or you want to go one step further, you can even buy reusable coffee filters.
6. Straws
Have I mentioned recently that the USA alone throws away enough straws every day to circle the entire planet…twice? It’s one of those horrifying environmental statistics that just sticks with you! Thankfully, there are plenty of zero waste alternatives on the market. Metal straws are great to have in the kitchen drawer and The Final Straw is a foldable, portable alternative that you can take with you wherever you go.
7. Packaged food
Digging vegetables out of the ground and then wrapping them in plastic to make them look ‘clean’ has never really made any sense to me. In some supermarkets, it’s hard to get your hands on fruits and vegetables that aren’t pre-packaged, but where you can, you can use mesh produce bags instead of the standard plastic ones.
8. Water bottles
Switching to a reusable water bottle is one of the easiest ways to reduce your plastic usage and it can really add up. After all, globally, humans purchase 1 million plastic bottles every minute. Yes, you read that right! The Chilly’s water bottles are my personal favourite because they’re plastic-free and keep my water nice and cool. Another honourable mention in the Gravyl purifying water bottle, which allows you to safely drink water from anywhere in the world.
9. Ice
If you’re going to the supermarket to buy ice…don’t. Firstly, you’re paying for frozen water (why?) and secondly, that frozen water comes plastic-wrapped. Instead invest in some ice cube trays and make your own ice at home.
10. Food
Arguably, the worst type of waste that happens in the kitchen is food waste. Do you ever find yourself stumbling upon a half-liquidised cucumber at the back of the fridge? Do you find yourself throwing out half of your grocery shopping at the end of the week because it expired? The best way to avoid the waste is by planning out your meals in advance, taking a list to the supermarket and cooking big batches of food to freeze for a later date. If you do find yourself with a bunch of vegetables that are about to go off, make a big stew. Try to throw away as little food as you can.
Making zero waste changes doesn’t need to be difficult. These zero waste kitchen swaps are super easy to implement and will have you asking yourself why you didn’t make these changes years ago. Let’s keep working towards a zero waste world!
