How To Be Sustainable In Your Kitchen

A term we are seeing crop up more and more lately is ‘sustainability’. What does it mean to be sustainable? Sustainability relates to our impact on the earth and what steps we can take to get the most out of what we have, instead of using up resources which are limited and damaging to the environment.

While there are many contributing factors outside of our control, we can actually do quite a lot of good in our own homes. Today, Timbercraft is looking at some of the ways you can make your kitchen more sustainable.

Stop wasting so much food!

Wasting food has become such a massive issue in recent times. Ireland for instance, generates one million tonnes of food waste per year. This can be blamed somewhat on poorly planned distribution and people’s preference for only ‘fresh’ looking produce, but we are responsible for a huge part of this problem. The best and most simple ways to stop wasting food are;

Don’t overbuy – We can overestimate the amount of food we will need to store after grocery shopping. Before you go out to do your big weekly shop, make a list of what you think you will realistically need and how much your family will consume.

Preserve food for longer – Make sure perishable food is properly sealed in air-tight containers and the temperature is adequate.

Recycle –For the remaining food waste in your kitchen, make sure to place it in a container for compost. This way you are giving back to the environment. This also goes for recyclable food packaging left in your kitchen, which you should place in a recycling bin.

Use refillable containers and bags, while avoiding excessive packaging

Instead of constantly buying new plastic containers for food and storage, why not be kinder to the environment by reusing them? Plastic containers, for example, can be used for a wide variety of purposes, including storing fresh salads in your fridge.

Many products you see when shopping will overuse plastic packaging and wrapping. If you must buy them, try using a creative and fun way to make use of them in the future. This brings us onto our next point.

Kitchens can often fill up with many items if you don’t have enough storage. The solution is simple; reuse your plastic bags each time you leave the house for shopping. This way you are being more eco-friendly and your kitchen drawers won’t be stuffed with hundreds of old bags!

Conserve water use and reduce energy/fuel

A great way to conserve and minimise water usage is to only use a dishwasher when it is full. You can reduce water use and cut down on energy use at the same time by washing some dishes in the sink if you don’t think you’ll require using a dishwasher. 

Shopping local is a great way to reduce your emissions, instead of driving long distances to shops who supply the same groceries. 

A fantastic and simple way to cut down on your energy costs and be eco-friendly in the process, is to shut that fridge door. Leaving your fridge door open can actually waste a significant amount of energy. Up 50 to 120kWh can be wasted per year. According to Seline Aparicio from Goodhousekeeping, “50kWh of energy could run your dishwasher 20 times and 100kWh could run your washing machine 50 times — almost a free load of laundry every week for an entire year”.

Awareness

There are many ways to be eco friendly in your kitchen, but the most important step is to make others in your home aware and encourage participation. Maybe ask your family to join in and even help with some creative ideas around the house.