How to use less plastic in your kitchen
If you’ve been reading our latest blog posts on the problems of plastic waste, you should hopefully be feeling more inspired to do something about it.
Our Earth Day article shared some great tips for reducing plastic in your cleaning around the home.
Today, we want to bring our focus to the kitchen, where approximately 7,145 pieces of plastic can be found on the average residential street!
Photo by Christian Mackie on Unsplash
How many ways to reduce your plastic waste in the kitchen have you thought of?
That could be from where you get your groceries, to what you use to eat or drink with and wrap your food in afterwards.
Food is an essential part of living, but has a big impact on the environment. In 2018, 6.6 million tonnes of food was wasted from UK households, 70% of the total 9.5 million tonnes wasted in the country.
Plastic and food waste go hand-in-hand, from the plastic packaging on bananas to the way you store leftovers!
If you’re unsure on how to reduce your food waste, check out our latest blog post for some great tips, including how to meal prep and what brands help reduce your food waste.
Do we really need so much plastic in our kitchens?
After reducing your food waste, let’s think of some ways to work smarter when it comes to plastic in the kitchen.
How can I buy produce with minimal plastic waste?
Buying your fresh groceries from organic shops and market stalls not only means supporting local and small businesses, but is also better for the environment.
Avoiding regular food delivery means less carbon emissions are used, and less plastic packaging too.
We know that’s not always possible though, so choosing reliable eco-friendly online grocery stores is ideal.
Don’t know where to find low-waste groceries? Start here:
Your local markets and zero-waste shops - (you can use this handy directory to find shops near you!)
Goodclub: Zero-waste groceries to be delivered straight to your door (with minimal packaging)
PikItFresh: Organic fruit and veg box delivery
Did you know? 1.1 billion single-use plates and 4.25 billion items of single-use cutlery are used every year, but only 10% are recycled!
Some ways to reduce this massive statistic would be to buy wooden cutlery and plates instead of plastic ones, avoid asking for cutlery when ordering takeaways, and using filtered tap water instead of single-use plastic bottles.
But still, don’t forget to recycle when you can!
The next step would be finding alternatives to plastic products in the kitchen, which isn’t as hard as you might think.
Plastic-free kitchen product swaps:
Swap cling film for reusable food wraps such as beeswax paper
Replace single-use plastic bottles with reusable ones made with recycled plastic, or even better, stainless steel.
Start using a bamboo lunchbox or kit, instead of plastic ones.
Similarly, store your leftovers in containers made from bamboo, glass, or stainless steel.
Do you do any of these already?
See how many of these plastic-free choices you can make in your kitchen today, and implement them into your daily life.
Where can I find plastic-free brands for my kitchen?
Photo of Beeswax Wrap, from Goodfind site.
To guide you a bit more, we want you to be able to rely on only the most ethical, affordable brands for all your plastic-free kitchen needs.
So, these are some of our favourite brands to supply you with just that:
Roots and Hoots- get your plastic-free groceries now!
The Ocean Bottle- reusable bottles that give back to the planet.
Global WakeCup - stylish bamboo cups, lunchboxes, bowls and more.
FriendlyTurtle - for a range of plastic-free kitchen items.
Elephant Box - sleek stainless steel food containers.
Alpaca Coffee - plastic-free coffee, what’s not to love?
Beeswax Wrap - for all those leftovers!
Finding ways to use less plastic in our day to day lives isn’t so tough really.
We hope these posts are bringing your attention to how to change your consumption habits one step at a time, and soon you’ll feel no need for plastic in your home!
For now, check out our Instagram for more info and tips, and find some more of our plastic-free brands below.
Edited by Jasmine Alakija