The kitchen remains one of the most wasteful rooms in most homes, as not only do you need to consider food waste, but also your cleaning, storage, and organizational needs which often use non-recyclable plastics. The good news is making a few small adjustments can make a big impact, helping you to work towards zero-waste.
So, why not get started with our Zero Waste Kitchen Kit and take your first steps today. Read on to learn more.
The Zero Waste Kitchen Kit
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There are many wasteful products in the kitchen that can easily be replaced. Simple everyday items that are all too often made of non-recyclable plastics can be swapped out for zero-waste alternatives, and our Zero Waste Kitchen Kit includes the following items to get you started.
- Reusable paper towels
- Glass bottle + cleaner
- Beeswax wraps
- Dish block soap
- Soap holder
Here, we look a little deeper into how our Zero Waste Kitchen Kit can help you reduce plastic and paper waste, as well as reduce the harmful chemical you use to clean.
Totally Taylored Reusable Paper Towels
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You can’t recycle used paper towels. Grease and grime contaminate the paper towels and the fibers are too short for them to be recycled. While they are entirely biodegradable, they usually end up in landfill rather than on the compost pile, contributing to harmful methane and CO2 emissions.
Avoiding the single-use issue are reusable paper towels from Totally Talyored. Available in a range of designs to suit any kitchen décor, they are manufactured from scraps of upcycled fabric to reduce the amount going to landfill, with the reverse side made of bamboo double loop terry for better absorption. They also feature serged edges to prevent fraying, meaning they’ll last longer than a homemade rag.
Meliora All-Purpose Home Cleaner
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There’s no denying that one of the most useful single-use items ever designed is the spray bottle. Quick and convenient, they’re found in kitchens and bathrooms everywhere. However, the simple fact that they are designed for single-use is creating plenty of unnecessary plastic waste.
Helping to solve that problem is the Meliora refillable glass bottle. This all-purpose home cleaner is ideal for both the kitchen and the bathroom, instantly halving the number of bottles you need. It’s also packaged in glass which can be used a near-infinite number of times with the company’s refill tablets, while also being fully recyclable. While the spray pumps are not yet recyclable, they are built to be used many times.
Khala & Co Food Wraps
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Plastic wrap is another of those extremely useful kitchen inventions that, while helping to prevent food waste, is landfilled in huge quantities. Once discarded, it takes hundreds of years to break down and can release toxic chemicals such as dioxin. What’s more, as our food storage options have grown exponentially since its invention in the 50s, there’s less need to rely on this highly polluting plastic.
However, sometimes there’s no option but to wrap your sandwiches, cheese, or other foods in something, and many people are turning to more traditional methods to do this. Khala & Co has done exactly this, manufacturing its brand of beeswax wrap in a range of sizes to ensure you can securely wrap anything you need to. Fully washable, reusable, and compostable, they’re the ideal swap for that unnecessary plastic wrap.
No Tox Life Dish Block® Zero Waste Dish Washing Bar
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The jury is still out on whether conventional dish soap is harmful to the environment, however, there are specific ingredients contained in some brands that are of concern. Cocamide DEA, DMDM Hydantoin, Ethanolamine, Formaldehyde, and many more common components have been flagged by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). Additionally, Triclosan has recently been banned within “anti-bacterial” soaps.
The simple fact is that almost all of the potentially harmful chemicals found in most popular brands are entirely unnecessary, and No Tox Life’s 6 oz. Dish Block is the perfect example. It’s packaged entirely in cardboard and it’s free of fragrances, dyes, phosphates, sulfates, and parabens. It’s also made with vegan ingredients, without the addition of palm oil, so that it’s entirely biodegradable and septic safe. Even better, it can be used to deal with laundry stains, remove labels from glass, spot clean your carpet, and wipe down counters, meaning you can cut out even more unnecessary plastic with a single bar.
No Tox Life Moso Bamboo Soap Shelf
Plastic soap holders are fantastic until they break. Unfortunately, once they have there’s no place for them other than landfill, adding to the piles of plastic waste that will take centuries to breakdown while also helping to spread microplastics in the ocean.
The Bamboo Soap Shelf from No Tox allows you to avoid all this with a simple and fully biodegradable alternative. Manufactured using bamboo from sustainable sources, it also features naturally occurring antibacterial properties to help you keep your kitchen area clean and safe.
For more, easy zero-waste swaps, take a look at our Starter Kit and Bathroom Kit.
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