If you have already taken steps towards an eco-friendlier lifestyle and want to know where you can improve next, one of the household areas that generates the most waste is the kitchen.
It can seem like the most challenging area to change, as there’s only so much you can reduce when we need to eat every day. But don’t panic: small changes can make a big difference.
Taking action in small ways
Local shopping for a leaner footprint
Buying local immediately reduces the carbon footprint of your purchases. Investment in local businesses is also an investment in your local area. Their existence contributes to council budgets, which can end up funding services such as waste recycling and litter management.
Other small yet mindful ethical choices
Try growing your own herbs, instead of buying plastic packaged options shipped over long distances.
Choose reusable produce and shopping bags. You can even make them yourself from old fabric or purchase from local companies.
When shopping, select cardboard packaging instead of plastic, such as boxes of pasta instead of bags. If you can’t avoid plastic for certain products, choose recyclable over non-recyclable where possible.
Bringing ethical utensils to the kitchen
Making use of waste
Any time a product is manufactured out of something that was previously waste, it’s already a boost for sustainability. You’re reducing waste from a process you may not even realise you’re involved in. Of course, minimising waste helps everyone.
Replacing plastic straws
Wheat can be a perfect treat
We all know plastic straws are out, so why not substitute them? For example, disposable wheat straws make an excellent alternative for any event, and also reducing your footprint.
Besides the environmental impact of plastic straws, there are many questions about the long-term health effects of BPA and other plastics deemed ‘safe’ for human consumption. You don’t need to grapple with these concerns when using a completely natural product.
Fully compostable, gluten-free wheat straws prove disposables don’t have to be detrimental to the environment.
Sustainable bamboo straws
Bamboo is fast growing and, if cultivated properly, almost endlessly renewable. Using a material like bamboo to make straws means fewer trees are cut down; it regenerates quickly and can be grown in a relatively small area.
Eco-friendly kitchenware
Using compostable plates
When you’re hosting a dinner party or large gathering, not only is disposable tableware necessary for your sanity, it can also be the sustainable choice. It may seem counterintuitive, but if it’s completely compostable, like palm leaf tableware, the only by-product will be nutrient-rich compost.
By reducing washing up after an event, you save water and avoid polluting with washing detergents, which are often harmful to marine life.
Palm leaf plates aren’t destined for landfill after absorbing oil or grease, like paper plates, or when they break, like ceramic crockery. Durable enough to be wiped down and reused, they don’t even have to be single-use objects.
Eco-friendly cutlery
Using disposable cutlery every day isn’t sustainable, but there are times you can choose convenience and not damage the environment.
Birchwood knives, forks, and spoons are a great disposable option. Birchwood grows fast, meaning it’s more easily replenished – like bamboo. It’s also naturally splinter-free – neither chemicals nor processing are needed to make the cutlery safe.
As with palm leaf tableware, Birchwood cutlery is 100% compostable, proving sustainable choices don’t have to be difficult.
Biodegradable bowls and trays
Whether creating a chic display or for the practicality of serving up family-sized meals, a large biodegradable bowl or palm leaf platter makes a better choice over plastic utensils.
Just like other palm leaf tableware, palm leaf bowls are strong, so can be reused multiple times. Even if they’re damaged, they won’t crack or splinter like glass or plastic. You won’t need to feel guilty about adding to landfill when you can add to your compost instead.
Making mindful consumption matter
The most important change you can make is to your mindset. To become a conscious consumer you’ll need to consider what you’re buying, using, and throwing away. Every time you choose an ethical product, you show manufacturers that they needn’t be reckless with the planet’s resources for the sake of customer convenience or corporate revenue.
Even companies and industries that are less concerned with ethics or the environment can be swayed by the financial choices of their consumers. Money talks, as they say.
Making sustainable choices and reducing waste can have a much larger knock-on effect, beyond what we would consider. If we choose to be ethical consumers, our choices can have positive consequences, instead of negative ones.
For more ideas on how to make ethical choices when planning a meal or catering for an event, have a look at our other blog posts.