Protecting the environment is everyone’s job. The good news is that it’s easier than you think. All you have to do is adopt a series of habits that focus on small individual gestures that together can make a huge collective impact.
And the kitchen is a good place to start, since the things we do in it are the most wasteful and energy-intensive activities in our entire home.
We only have one planet, so remember the three R's: reduce, reuse and recycle. Check out the short guide we've created to implement this rule in our favourite room.
Reducing waste and energy consumption
The first step to stopping waste is clear: reduce consumption to avoid waste.
When it comes to food, you can use an old friend that we sometimes forget: the shopping list. Shopping consciously based, for example, on what you already have in the fridge or on a weekly planned menu is essential for preventing food waste.
If you want to reduce plastic or cardboard waste, we recommend buying in bulk (many establishments already have this option) or in larger sizes, which will reduce the amount of packaging. Extra storage space will be very useful for storing everything, and you should plan it carefully so that everything has its place.
And if you’re looking for tips on how to save energy, don't miss our article that talks about just that.
Reusing in the kitchen
Haven’t used the shopping list tip and you have leftover food? Then, no matter what, you have to resort to the use what you have technique, a classic and easy way to reuse food to put an end to kitchen waste. Broths, scrambled eggs, omelettes, croquettes... There are as many recipes as there are tastes.
But there are other things we can also reuse: Do you only have one cup left from that old set, old plates, plastic containers without lids, single-use plastic bottles or containers that you don't want to throw away? You can give them a second life and use them to create, for example, gardening tools, decorative objects or to do crafts with the little ones at home. If you're short on ideas, do a quick online search and you'll be amazed at the creative ways to reuse that are available!
Don’t just toss it: recycle!
No matter how much we reduce and reuse, it's nearly impossible not to generate waste. That's why it is essential to sort waste for recycling and to continue with the circle of sustainability. If you don’t think that recycling does much good, take note:
- It reduces energy consumption: recycling uses less energy than producing from scratch.
- It reduces environmental pollution: by recycling we reduce the need to burn waste and with it, the emission of polluting gases.
- It slows down global deforestation.
So, stop with the excuses and, if you don't already do it, start sorting waste now! We make it easy for you with specific accessories for recycling bins designed so that you can make the most of every last millimetre of your kitchen drawers and can have different containers for each type of waste.
And last but not least, don't forget to toss the bags in the right container!