Earth Day Sustainable Kitchen Swaps

Composed Living is always focused on sustainable swaps for your home and life, but during April, we focus even more because of Earth month. You might have seen our blog all about sustainable swaps for the bathroom and laundry room. and today is ALL about the kitchen!

We spend so much time in our kitchens, and it’s probably also the room that the most waste is brought into! Here are our tips on how to make your kitchen more Earth-friendly.

7 Sustainable Swaps for Your Kitchen

Reusable “Ziplocs”

These Stasher bags are 100% silicone, adorable, keep your food fresh and are way better for the environment than traditional baggies. Bonus, they stack easily so keeping them tidy in a drawer, cabinet or basket is a breeze. They can easily be washed and we love that you can purchase bag options that stand up or lay flat. The stand up options allow you to store liquid or other leftovers that you typically would put in a storage container. They also can be used to marinate your food, sous vide, or even be used for other instances around your home where you would have typically grabbed a plastic bag - like a change of clothes in your diaper bag or for travel. We LOVE a product with a dual purpose.

Bamboo Dish Scrubbers

Bamboo dish scrubbers are fantastic and compostable - this two pack has one for regular dishes and one that's ideal for caked on messes or to use on your cast iron skillets. If you like the feel of a traditional sponge, try the ones from Public Goods!

Plant-Derived Dish Soap

Mrs. Meyers and Public Goods dish soap are both great easily swaps for your kitchen! Mr.s. Meyers can be found at most grocery stores and places like Target. It is plant-derived, made with essential oils and not tested on animals! It also comes in recyclable packaging. You can buy it in smaller bottles, or a larger refillable bottle! Public Goods also has great plant-based dish soaps and it is vegan-friendly, biodegradable, and greywater friendly.

Beeswax Wrap

Instead of using plastic wrap or aluminum foil, a great alternative would be using beeswax wrap to store leftover food or a dish that is waiting to be served. Not only do they keep food fresh longer, they also keep plastic from the landfills and last over a year!

Compost Bin

Make composting less trashy by adding this chic bin to your kitchen counter staples. Composting is a great way to reduce your impact on landfills. Our fave hack to avoid smelly kitchens and any sort of critters being attracted (huge no thanks from us on ants and all their friends) is putting your compost bin in the freezer! Nothing will smell, and this bin is small enough that there’s still space for all the ice cream, and frozen Trader Joe’s treats too!

We recommend keeping your bin within eyesight to easily remember to compost your food scraps, instead of tossing them in the trash. Most municipalities offer composting options, but if you aren’t sure, check out your local government website or Earth911 https://earth911.com/home-garden/cheat-sheet-composting/ for more information about how to integrate composting into your lifestyle.

Here are two more styles that we really like! This “scrap collector” specifically for the freezer and this 0.75 of a gallon little white guy!

Veggie Stockpile!

Create a "stockpile" (pun intended) of all the odds and ends from your veggies (the carrot tops, celery parts that you don't eat, etc.) Store them in a bin in your freezer and when you're ready, add water and boil them to make a delicious vegetable stock! (This is actually where the term stock pile originated!)

Bamboo or Wood Cutting Board

Instead of using a plastic cutting board, which can harbor bacteria and lead to more plastic in landfills, once you are ready to dispose of them, try investing in a bamboo or wood cutting board as an alternative. Bamboo is antibacterial, sustainable and compostable, and wood cutting boards can be sanded every so often to make them like new again!

3 Other Sustainable Solutions for Your Household

E-Statements

Switching to e-statements for all your bank accounts, credit cards, etc., or anything else that sends you a paper statement or bill. We recommend going through any paper mail that comes through and discarding it in your recycle or filing it as needed. For anything that can be digital, switch it over for less clutter in your home. Plus, save more trees!

Rechargeable Batteries

So many people toss their batteries right into the trash instead of disposing of them correctly! We encourage all of our clients to use reusable batteries! Not only does this help with the environment, but you actually end up saving money long-term since they last so much longer. Win-win!

Utilize Those Around You & Share!

Join your local Buy Nothing Group on Facebook where they support a free / exchange economy, encourage borrowing from your neighbor, and allow you to extend the life-cycle of items you no longer want.

Have more sustainable swap ideas to share with us for the kitchen? Comment below or message us! We always love hearing from you.