Sustainable swaps you should make in the kitchen

By N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe

New Delhi, Sep 6 (SocialNews.XYZ) Consider all the single-use plastic you employ in your kitchen. A majority of it is disposed of in landfills, which affect the environment by releasing methane into the atmosphere. Fortunately, many of these items are simple to swap out. There are numerous things that can be substituted, repurposed, or ethically recycled, ranging from eco-friendly cleaning supplies to biodegradable garbage bags.

Priyanka Kheruka, the Brand Head-Borosil Ltd shares with IANSlife a few of her favourite zero-waste kitchen products that won't wind up in a landfill when it's time to replace them with new ones if you want to reduce the number of single-use items in your kitchen.

CLOTH/PAPER BAGS

Do you see how the grocery store has those long rolls of thin plastic bags in the produce section? You don't need them. It makes sense to always carry a reusable cloth or paper bag when purchasing fresh produce to avoid stocking your kitchen with plastic bags and dramatically reduce the amount of plastic trash. Moreover, cloth and paper bags are also breathable, which is a plus for your produce.

REPLACE HARSH CHEMICALS WITH SUSTAINABLE CLEANING PRODUCTS

While it can seem like using harsh chemicals to keep your kitchen clean and prevent contaminations and infections is the greatest option, their eco-friendly alternatives are superior for a variety of clear reasons! The environmentally friendly cleaners work just as well using ingredients you can easily find in your kitchens, such as lemon, vinegar, and baking soda.

BIODEGRADABLE TRASH BAGS

We are all now aware of the severe effects that single-use plastic bags have on the environment. However, even though single-use plastic trash bags have a similar environmental impact, we don't generally bring them up in the discourse and even though changing from plastic to compostable or biodegradable garbage bags may seem difficult, doing so can reduce waste and the overall demand for plastic products. They are also non-toxic and break down over time when in contact with sunlight and soil.

SWAP PLASTIC CONTAINERS FOR GLASS CONTAINERS

Switching out your plastic containers for glass ones is one of the best zero-waste kitchen storage solutions. In choosing glass jars over alternatives made of single-use plastic, you also get the extra benefits of making an investment and using the product for many years. Moreover, glass containers guarantee that the food items preserve their flavor and taste because they have zero chemical reactions or germ absorption.

REUSABLE METAL STRAWS

Most single-use straws are too light to be picked up by a mechanical recycling sorter, which results in them being discarded as waste and increases the likelihood that they will wind up in the ocean. One of the simplest swaps one can make is moving to metal, reusable straws. Additionally, they produce no waste and are very portable. These stainless-steel straws are rust-proof, non-toxic, and of the highest quality. Since there is no need to buy single-use straws, metal straws are also less expensive.

TRY WOODEN CUTLERY

Wooden cutlery is much more environmentally friendly than you might realize. We are all aware of how long-lasting and sustainable wooden products are. As a result, they demonstrate value for the economy, human health, and society as well as the environment. There is disposable and biodegradable wooden cutlery available. Therefore, using wooden cutlery can benefit both the environment and society.

Every day, several fresh products and materials are introduced to the market. It's never too late to begin your path to sustainability from your kitchen and contribute to the improvement of our environment.

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)

Source: IANS