Introduction
Foreign ERI, and today is a continuation of the 10 swaps for life. This specific blog is going to be 10 zero-waste swaps for your kitchen. I've made plenty of kitchen-related content before, but these are some of my favorite swaps that are super easy to implement and will definitely function as a great base if you're trying to transition into a zero-waste lifestyle. Trying to be more sustainable, lower your impact, and reduce the amount of waste you're creating. Anyway, these 10 swaps are life changes.
1. Silicone Baking Mat
This first swap actually took me a little bit of time to sort of warm up to and start appreciating, but now I cannot live without it. It is a silicone baking mat. Usually, you can get sheets of baking paper. Sometimes this paper is coated, so it's not necessarily recyclable. When it gets in touch with food, especially oily things, it won't get recycled at all. It's not recyclable when paper products have been in contact with food, so using a reusable product instead is a really good idea. This is super handy. I have a blog about silicone in general, so if you're curious about that material, how sustainable it is, and what to look for when you're choosing silicone products, I recommend checking out that blog.
2. Reusable Tea and Coffee Infusers/Filters
Also, reusable tea and coffee infusers/filters. Personally, I do not drink a lot of hot beverages. Sometimes, if I'm sick, I'll do like a tea, and if I'm super cozy, I'll do hot cocoa or something like that. But I always have tea and coffee on hand in case I have guests over that prefer those beverages. Instead of having disposable coffee filters or even pods or disposable tea bags that, by the way, often contain plastic, I have reusable infusers instead, and they last a lifetime. It's magical.
3. Reusable Dishcloths or Swedish Cloths
I think I mentioned this once before, but every time I talk about reusable dishcloths or Swedish cloths, I don't know why they're called Swedish cloths—they have them in so many places. Anyway, the branding, the marketing, I'm not really sure where that comes from. A specific brand, I'm certain. But I've never thought about these reusable cloths as a sustainable product because they are just such a normal thing in Denmark and in most places I've been to. I think the whole disposable paper towel thing for cleaning is an American thing. Maybe it isn't; maybe I'm uneducated. I don't know. Disposable paper towels for cleaning, wiping off kitchen surfaces, all that kind of stuff, sounds so inefficient when you can have a good quality cloth to just wipe your surfaces with instead. Rinse it with water, drain it, wash it over and over again—it's just so much easier. It is so much easier. I have a nice little cabinet in my apartment where I keep all my cloths. So if you're still using paper towels, this could be your sign to try and transition into a reusable alternative.
4. Natural Fiber Sponge
Related to cleaning, a natural fiber sponge is also a really good idea. Conventional sponges are made from plastic, and whenever you use them on a surface or whenever you're scrubbing something, you're scrubbing small parts of that sponge away, and those parts become microplastic. It's not the main source of microplastic whatsoever, but it is something that we can be conscious of, something that we can change and improve. Instead, using natural fiber sponges that can be composted after many uses is better.
5. Compost Bin or Bokashi Compost
One of the main issues with our kitchens and one of the main impacts that come from our kitchens is food waste and how we handle food scraps. Getting a compost bin, I would say, or an inside Bokashi compost is a really good idea. Otherwise, we throw food in with our general waste, and in many places in the world, it ends up in a landfill. When you add organic materials to a landfill, they're not going to decompose. They're going to just lie there and emit methane, which is bad. It's actually kind of a win-win situation because when you're composting, you're utilizing that unharvested energy from your food scraps to create fertilizer for your plants, inside or outside.
Both work. I am still working on the inside composting guide—it's going to be here soon, so stay tuned.
6. Reusable Plastic Items
When you search for zero-waste swaps, you often get these swaps that are aesthetically incredibly pleasing and completely plastic-free. Somewhere down the line, we stopped talking about reusable versus single-use and started talking about plastic versus plastic-free as though those two are identical. There are plenty of reusable plastic items, and the thing is, if you use a plastic item many times, it's completely fine. It's completely sustainable. It's much more sustainable to use that plastic product than throwing it away. One thing when I started my zero-waste journey is that I really wanted one of those stainless steel ice trays instead of my plastic ice tray because I thought plastic versus plastic-free, reusable versus single-use were the same thing. The thing is, when it comes to ice, the unsustainable way of doing it is getting plastic bags with ice. But you can also get those plastic bags that you fill with water, and then they create the ice cubes. Both come with single-use plastic. You can use your reusable plastic ice cube tray—completely fine. It's absolutely zero waste. It's absolutely sustainable. There's no need to buy a stainless steel ice tray. I do not see the point. I really wanted one at some point. It's almost a little bit embarrassing. It seems like such a weird product because it's expensive. Stainless steel is expensive. It's an expensive way of ending up at the exact same place—it's just ice. Crazy.
7. Solid Containers for Storage
So the zero-waste swap is not a stainless steel, plastic-free ice tray—it's just those reusable plastic ice trays. They're perfectly fine, and you can get them in any thrift store. I have never walked into a thrift store without seeing a mountain of them. It's a perfect swap and much better than using plastic bags. But I really want to circle back to the plastic thing because another amazing zero-waste swap is just a solid container for leftovers, food, spices, or whatever you want to store. That container can be made out of any material you want. I would recommend if you're eating hot food out of your container or microwaving it, that you do not use plastic because some types of purposely made single-use plastic containers that can be reusable aren't necessarily made out of a material that's food safe. But for just storing cold leftovers, it's absolutely fine. I use an old hummus container for that sometimes—it's perfectly okay. I just think that having solid containers that are easy to use, easy to store, is going to make you more likely to not use cling film, plastic bags, or aluminum foil. Those materials are awful. Those products are the worst.
8. Wooden Dish Brush
One example that always comes to mind for me is the stainless steel lunchbox, actually. I do have a couple of stainless steel lunchboxes—they're perfect, I love them, they're really practical. But is it more sustainable to buy a stainless steel lunchbox than using the lunchbox you've had since the 90s? Probably not. Definitely not. If you already have plastic containers, keep using them for as long as you can. That is the most sustainable thing to do, not buying whatever zero-waste kits some blogger tells you to get.
9. Water Filtration System
This is something that might work for people who do not drink the tap water or cannot drink the tap water. Get a water filtration system so that you can use your tap water more effectively. In Denmark, it's not really necessary—I know some people still do it. I just drink the tap water as is. If that's an option for you where you live, please do that. Companies that sell bottled water do not necessarily sell water as much as they sell plastic bottles, so that's overall not a vibe in and of itself. So if you can drink the tap water, please do so. If you're sort of iffy about it, then install a water filter or use a water filter pitcher. Pour your tap water into your pitcher, filtrate the water, drink it—perfect.
10. Second-Hand Shopping
Lastly, the most sustainable zero-waste swap is the thing you don't have to buy new. So even when it comes to appliances, utensils, cutlery, plates, everything—check out second-hand platforms and thrift shops before buying things new. When it comes to more specific things, like I am in need of an air fryer, I am currently looking for an air fryer on Facebook Marketplace. That's sort of the place I go to when I have something specific in mind. Then I can see if there's anyone in my local area selling that specific thing. If there isn't, I'll simply wait it out because I know for a fact it's going to pop up at some point. I think I advocate for second-hand shopping in basically every single video, so you're probably pretty tired of me at this point. But I don't think I could make a blog about zero-waste swaps without talking about buying things pre-loved.
Conclusion
So there we go—those were 10 effective zero-waste swaps to make your kitchen more sustainable. I hope that you liked this blog. If you did, leave me a comment—that would make my day. If you have any other swaps, tips, etc. to make your kitchen more sustainable, or things you want to share with the group, comment down below and let me know. Thank you so much for reading. Have an amazing day. I will see you guys next time. Take really good care of yourselves until then. Bye.
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