A year ago, I decided to create a more environmentally friendly kitchen, focusing on reducing the single-use products such as plastic bags and paper towels. I'm not going to sugarcoat my experience. It takes commitment and a willingness to change long-held habits. In creating my kitchen, I tried a lot of different alternative products and some plain old common sense. The result, however, has been worth the effort. I'm recycling more and relying less on single-use products and I'm saving money too.
I'm not kidding when I say that I used to really love plastic storage bags, so this was, perhaps, the biggest challenge for me. Switching to reusable storage bags is a financial investment, but the cost is reasonable considering that I previously spent at least $ 100 annually on single-use plastic bags and wrap. I will check online periodically for recycling updates, where a zero-waste box for kitchen items is offered, from party supplies to mixed-material food containers.
I'm a clean freak (怪人) and used to go through an amount of paper towels on a daily basis, but it's easy enough to take old T-shirts or towels and cut them up to use to wipe down surfaces. I'm also a fan of bamboo paper towels, which have the look and feel of traditional paper towels, yet are made from a highly renewable source and also break down in just 45 days. Better yet, they can be reused up to 100 times. As for kitchen sponges (海绵擦), I keep an eye out for those made with natural and recyclable materials.
When purchasing household items online from companies like Amazon or Jet, I will ask to have them shipped in as few boxes as possible or as small a box as possible if a single item is to be sent. I'll let the company know that they should pay more attention to how it is packaging items for delivery.
