It can be hard knowing where to start when moving your family into a greener lifestyle. It’s so overwhelming, that many people choose not to start at all. Taking baby steps is a great way to begin your journey into living a greener life. I’ve found that my kitchen tends to produce the most waste overall, so I found that was the quickest way to have the biggest impact.
Our household makes a lot of waste. A LOT. 2 adults, 4 cats, and 3 kids. I admire the zero waste lifestyle, and we’re taking baby steps to get there, but its a lot. When taking a look at what exactly went into my trashcan every day, I noticed majority of it was things from the kitchen (why we have the trashcan in the kitchen, right?). Food wrappers, paper towels, napkins, saran wrap, ziplock bags, food scraps. So much waste from our kitchen. Luckily, there are a few quick simple swaps you can make at the beginning of your green journey.
This post was sponsored. I recieved HoneyBella’s natural beeswrap at no cost to faciliate this post, however all opinions remain my own. The following post contains affiliate links, meaning I will receive a commission at no additional cost to you. For more information, see my full disclosure policy.
5 Easy Swaps for a Greener Kitchen
Beeswrap
Beeswax wraps are such an easy switch to make. Unlike plastic wrap or tinfoil which is thrown away as soon as you’re done, bees wrap can be washed and used over and over again, not only preventing uneccesary waste, but saving money as well too.
I’ve used quite a few different brands of bees wrap, but my favorite is Honey Bella’s organic Beeswax Foodwraps. Easy to use, simply place on top of the bowl or around the food your sealing and hold in place. The warmth from your hands will cause the wrap to seal together. We use these to seal pretty much everything – food, vegetables, sandwiches. They’re also easy for my young kids to use as well, no snaps or levers to redo.
*Hand wash only in cold water*
Ditch Paper Towels
Paper towels are convienent. BUT… they are so wasteful. How many paper towels do you go through in a day (and thus trees)? Simply making the swap to cloth towels can save a ton of unneccessary waste from going into the trash. There are so many options available for purchase, or make your own from old clothing. Plus, they’re just as easy. Simply toss them into the wash when your done.
Reuse Jars
When given the choice between plastic or glass containers at the store, I almost always choose glass (or no packaging, if its available). Glass overall, tends to have less toxic compounds in it, and is great for storing pretty much everything. Leftovers, crafts supplies… I’ve even seen people freeze things in them (though there are special considerations to be had). Instead of tossing these jars, rinse them out and reuse them.
Save Your Scraps
At the end of cooking, I have so many leftover scraps. Carrot butts, onion skins, potato peelings… instead of just tossing them, save them! I place all of mine in a bag in the freezer, and when it’s full, I make my very own veggie stock. Super easy, and one more way to get everything out of your kitchen. And when you’re ready to take it to the next level, consider composting.
Reusable Bags
This is probably one of the easiest swaps that you can make. Instead of taking home fruits and veggies, groceries, and other things home in plastic bags from the store, bring your own bag. There’s a lot of great options, ranging from DIY to beautiful bags available for purchase. And of course, checking thrift stores is an amazing way to go green.
Transitioning to more ecofriendly and low waste habits can seem overwhelming at first, but by taking baby steps you can reduce your family’s impace on the environment.
Did I miss anything? Where did you start your low waste journey?
