Perhaps you are one of those people who consume seasonal vegetables, go to the farmers’ markets for local fruits and see that the entrecotes are from extensive livestock because you are concerned about the planet that you are going to leave to your heirs. But if you then get to the kitchen, dry your hands with disposable paper and use polyurethane scourers -a non-recyclable plastic material that goes straight into the garbage can-, you still have room for improvement. Here are a handful of ideas to make the kitchen a place with less waste.
coconut scourer
The green scourer of all life releases micro and nanoplastics: the sustainable bet is the coconut scourers, recyclable and biodegradable, which you can thoroughly use in those pans with recalcitrant stains without fear of scratching them. These from Safix, for sale in Zero Residue for 3.36 euros in large size -10×15 cm, they can be easily cut to make two normal sizes- they are made by women from rural India in a responsible company with their labor rights.
or loofah
The luffa are those vegetable filaments with which the exfoliating sponges for the bath are also made. It’s rough and off-road; something like the nickel scourer, but in vegetables, specifically from the family of pumpkins and zucchini. These Mimook cost 3.80 euros and they are produced in a sustainable, traditional way, without pesticides and processed with thermal water in Galicia.
swedish cloths
Reaching for the kitchen roll to dry, clean or whatever in the kitchen is a luxury that no Amazonian grove can resist: cellulose and recycled cotton cloths come to give the forests a break. To put it in figures, a single cloth spreads the same as 25 rolls of paper and withstands about 50 washing cycles in a washing machine. They absorb up to 15 times their weight and, although it sounds frivolous, some are cute. Are They have great reviews and cost 14.39 for a pack of 10 units.
reusable cup
Coffees in throwaway cups from your favorite coffee shop may be pretty cool, but they’re totally unsustainable. It does not matter if they are made of paper or recycled plastic, single-use is a concept that must be buried. You’ll be doing the planet a favor if you switch to reusable cups. This is called Save The Planet and it is made of PLA or polylactic acid, an ecoplastic from corn starch. It is 100% biodegradable and, as if that were not enough, it is suitable for microwaves and dishwashers. In the English Court.
Mesh for cooking chickpeas
Your grandmother already used it, it’s not new either. Or yes, because one fine day the nylon ones arrived and the crochet hooks lost the game. The bad thing is that the tiny plastics that are released when cooking they are now a problem for ocean life, so if you don’t want them to end up in the belly of your next hake, you can crochet a chickpea net or buy one already made in 100% cotton. It washes in the washing machine with the rest of the laundry.
save onions
Let’s face it: As much as you love onions, you don’t always use a whole one every time you cook. So strips of plastic wrap or aluminum foil and to the fridge. At the end of your life, those are a lot of wasted meters. The alternative? An onion guard like this one from Worten: goodbye to bad smells in the refrigerator and guaranteed freshness for your half onion. Extra bonus: it is dishwasher safe.
manual lemon squeezer
We continue with the halves. Let’s say you want to add a couple of drops of lemon to the tea. Do you squeeze it freehand? Do you throw away that half lemon, which is almost whole, or do you keep it somewhat crushed in the fridge, with its usual little piece of film? This Lékue lemon squeezer (13.90 euros in its own store) has won the Award for Design and Technological Innovation at Madrid Fusión and the Good Design Award. It is used to squeeze, without touching and without falling seeds. If there is any leftover, cover it and store what is left in the fridge. Style and fight against food waste in the same product.
silicone zip bag
zip bags narrowly escaped the European Directive that banned single-use plastics, the same one that took away straws or disposable cutlery. The fact is that they can be reused, but it is difficult to wash them and they break after a few uses. The environmentally friendly alternative is these self-sealing bags made of reusable silicone. Suitable for storing food, freezing and even cooking sous vide. These are from the Australian brand Ladelle and they sell them in Claudia & Julia for 12.95 euros.
Funnel to recycle oil
Did you know that a liter of oil can contaminate up to 1,000 liters of water? It is clear that throwing the oil from frying the croquettes down the drain is an uncivil and unsustainable gorrid. The correct thing is to put it in a plastic bottle that you are going to throw away and take it to the clean or green point. But pouring oil from a frying pan into an empty, lightweight bottle requires a pulse. This strainer fits perfectly in the neck of the bottle to reach without spills. A designer detail is that it has a space so that the bottle cap is not lost and you can close it as soon as you finish. It’s from Ibili and you have it in hyperchef for 4.02 euros.
bamboo cloths
Handmade, plastic-free and local. We can now have the countertop gleaming like the jets of gold without destroying the planet. This cloth is 60% bamboo, 40% GOTS organic cotton and 0% plastic and costs 4.50 euros. It is Midonnite, reusable and biodegradable; suitable for many scrubbing, it is washed cold in the washing machine and when its time comes, you will only have to cut it into small pieces and throw them in the organic waste bin.
Pans made from recycled cans
Made with a 100% recycled aluminum body, highly resistant and light, and with a premium non-stick coating, it will allow you to cook with less oil without fear of your food sticking to the pan, because being organic is not at odds with being healthy. Approved for all types of stoves, including induction, for sale in Alcampo and with very reasonable prices: 16.99 euros for the 24 cm Y 19.99 for 28.
walnut shell scouring pads
To be more ecological, you have to eliminate what is harmful to the environment and reuse everything that may be useful. These scouring pads recycle the plastic from their green part and reuse the shells of dried fruits, such as walnuts or hazelnuts (the nail saver is made of cellulose). You find it in Biomeco for 3.50 euros.
Recycled kitchen roll
Halfway between a roll of kitchen paper and a traditional cloth, this roll of washable, reusable and biodegradable cloths is made of organic cotton without dyes. Each cloth measures approximately 30 x 25 centimeters, millimeter above, millimeter below, because they are made by hand. When they are dirty, they are washed with neutral soap and rolled up again to be used again. In Midonnita they sell them for 27 euros a pack of 10.
Recycled plastic garbage bags
If we are going to be sustainable in the kitchen, it does not make much sense that the garbage bags are made of virgin plastic. “Our bags are made of 100% recycled plastic, from the one we throw into the yellow container, from plastics from greenhouses and from industrial waste, especially from the automotive sector,” explains Álvaro Salmerón, one of the parents of Relief, a young Valencian company with the desire to give new life to plastic. They are non-drip, with a capacity of 30 liters and up to 20% more resistant than normal rubbish bags, and are present in most large hypermarket chains (consult PVP according to establishment).
silicone lids
They save time and plastic, what more could you ask for? Food Huggers Bright Berry Silicone Stretch Lids They live up to their name (food choppers). They press against the food until they make a vacuum and allow you to cover that zucchini that has been left open or that sad half tomato that you did not use in the salad. The thing about saving time is because the transparent film, a candidate to fulfill that function, usually gets stuck and it normally takes a while to find the beginning, and you know it. You have them in Planeta Huerto for 16.95 euros a set of six (of different colors and sizes).
cotton coffee filter
Do you have a drip coffee maker and are you still using single-use paper filters like at the beginning of the 20th century? Step into the 21st century, apply a bit of sustainability and try recycled cotton and hemp filters. These are manufactured in Spain Minimall, a brand born within the Sinplástico.com Project, and the small ones cost 2.40 euros. After each use, simply rinse them under cold running water, dry and ready for the next cup.
Reusable bags for fruit and vegetables
Although in some supermarkets there are compostable or paper bags, it is always more sustainable to use something that does not generate any waste or energy cost. Cotton bags are a great resource, since they take up little space and are very light and durable. Are you from Carrefour? They measure 33×48 cm and cost 3.99 euros for a pack of three.
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