How to Make Your Kitchen More Eco-Friendly
The kitchen is the most important room in the home. It’s where the energy, water, and purchasing decisions weigh more and feel uncontrollable. It’s the room that fulfills the basic needs of you and your family and/or visitors. The kitchen extends to the restaurant; grocery store; convenience shop; produce stand; cafe. It is a symbol of sustenance, convenience, and nourishment. This article will walk you through the importance of water and energy usage in the kitchen, as well as what you can do about the waste generated.
Let’s get to cooking, shall we?
The Recipe for an Eco-Friendly Kitchen
Step 1: Purchases and Materials
One of the most common types of materials that end up in our kitchens are dreadful (but helpful) plastics. We can’t disclaim how convenient plastics are with their versatility, durability, and cost. However, we can claim that our dependency on them is a little over the top. Plastics are literally everywhere in our lives and are here to stay until we can find a way to replace them with something better and just as versatile. Before we take a look at how we can make the most out of reusable plastics and some alternatives to plastics, let’s break down what each plastic resin code really means so we can reuse and/or refuse safely.
#1 PETE — Polyethylene Terephthalate
Employed for bottles, packaging, and textiles (Polyester).
Known to be strong, lightweight, water-resistant, FDA-compliant, and live by the “less is more” mantra.
PETE does melt at 500F, but this is no cause for concern when used for food and beverages as heating these won’t reach this melting point through our available household/professional kitchen methods.* Also, this plastic is highly resistant to bacteria and other microorganisms.
Frugal and a recycler, PETE makes the most out of everything. This is what makes them age well past 450 years though, so it is important for this plastic to be reused and recycled.
*For any plastic, it is highly recommended that you don’t microwave them, unless specified that this is possible. Most plastics in our households are BPA-free, but the jury is still out on if additives to these plastics (phthalates and other BPA alternatives) will leach into our food and drinks when microwaved. It’s best to play it safe and follow the symbols on the packaging.
#2 & #4 PE — Polyethylene (High #2 and Low Density #4)
Employed for HDPE and LDPE packaging and products. Think of trash bins, trays, caps, bottles, plastic bags, and other uses.
Known to be tough at cold temperatures, weather-resistant, lightweight, extremely strong and versatile, and FDA-compliant.
HDPE and LDPE have low melting points compared to PETE. HDPE melts at anywhere between 248–284F, while LDPE melts at anywhere between 221–239F.
Frugal and a recycler, like their PETE friend, they are the life of the party. They’re such a party animal that they never truly reach the end of life. It has been found that most LDPE and HDPE never truly decompose in the landfill.
#3 PVC — Polyvinyl Chloride
Employed for building, construction, medical devices, toys, and clothing. It comes in two forms: rigid and flexible. Because it has easy processability and is low cost, it is being used to replace traditional building materials for many different applications.
PVC can be difficult to melt in rigid form, but tends to degrade at high temperatures for its flexible form. It is approved by the FDA for medical uses.
This is highly recyclable, but some products made of PVC are not easily recyclable and it is best to reduce the use of plastics in general due to their lengthy decomposition process.
#5 PP — Polypropylene
Employed as a plastic and fiber, it is used widely for automotives, commodities, furniture, and industrial applications.
PP comes in two forms: homopolymer and copolymer, with Homopolymer PP being acceptable for food contact. Homopolymer PP has a melting point of 320 F and Copolymer PP has a melting point of 275–318 F.
When used for kitchenware and takeout containers, it’s important to be careful with these because they can crack and break easily upon impact. They’re also highly flammable.
Can be recycled, but they are not consistently recycled.
#6 PS — Polystyrene
Employed for FDA-approved food packaging, appliances, automotives, electronics, insulation, medical, and consumer goods packaging. Referred to as Styrofoam, although this is a common mistake as Styrofoam is a registered trademark of products offered by Dow Chemical and bears no resemblance to the food packaging we are familiar with.
These have melting points of 410–480 F, however, they’re not recommended for microwave or oven cooking due to exposure of high heat increasing the chances of chemical leakage into food. Polystyrene also gives off toxic fumes and can be seriously damaging to your health when heated in high temperature environments or when exposed to other chemicals like acetone.
This type of packaging is not recyclable and is extremely harmful to the environment when disposed of in landfills.
#7 OTHER
This encompasses all other plastics that don’t match the above categories. Not widely recycled due to their difficult compositions and chemical separation processes. Some #7 plastics (compostable cups, for example) are compostable and not recyclable.
Common Kitchen Plastics
Plastic Food-Grade Wrap (Saran Wrap) — Commonly made from #3 PVC and #4 LDPE. It is less common now that food-grade wrap is made from #3 plastic due to concerns of health effects from the added chloride. This is not a recommended recyclable as it is too costly to recycle for facilities and will always end up being incinerated or landfilled. Some alternatives to buying this wrap for your household (as it’s difficult to avoid it when purchasing food items) include beeswax covers (with a DIY-version available), fabric bowl covers, silicone food-grade bags, fabric bags, and dish towels.
For more information on silicone as an alternative to plastic:
Plastic Storage Bags — Made from #4 LDPE. Not recyclable. Can be reused if it didn’t hold meat or anything that can spread bacteria/illness. When washing, use cold water and mild dish soap. You can use it as long as there are no scratches to the plastic or potential for it to leach chemicals. If it was exposed to heat, it’s not advised to reuse it. You raise your risk of exposing yourself to extremely unhealthy chemicals. Alternatives: Buying stainless steel and glass storage containers. Keep it simple. If it seems too good to be true, like a bamboo container (that will still use plastic), then avoid.
Dishes — Dishes are commonly made from Melamine which isn’t easily recycled or worth recycling for facilities. Alternatives: Buying ceramic and glass when possible for dishes. These can be found inexpensively at a dollar store. For cooking tools, there’s numerous ways to ensure that your cookware is eco-friendly. Consider buying wooden/bamboo spatulas and spoons, wooden cutting boards, stainless steel measuring cups, and glass measuring cups. For wood and bamboo products, make sure that the company or business has transparent practices and sustainably sources these materials.
Plastic Utensils and Storage Containers from Carry-Out Food — Made from #6 Polystyrene and #5 Polypropylene. These items can’t be easily recycled. Plastic utensils should be avoided. You can reuse the utensils technically, but when washing with dish soaps, you break down the chemical composition of the plastic and risk leaching these chemicals into your food and onto other dishes.
The plastic containers that are becoming a new alternative for foam containers can be reused as long as they’re microwave safe (and hopefully dishwasher safe). To be on the safe side, clean with mild dish soap and cold water.
You can reuse all of these items for arts and crafts. The main concern is the ingestion of these harsh chemicals.
Plastic Drying Rack — Most likely #2 HDPE. I was unable to find this information online. All of my searches returned “plastic,” which yes that is in fact true but what type of plastic?! Alternatives: towel/mat to place on the counter (paper towels won’t be too helpful and are wasteful for merely soaking up water from wet dishes) or steel drying rack (if you can, make sure that the steel won’t rust). Wood and bamboo are tricky because they are susceptible to mold and bacteria build up over time.
Plastic Food Storage Containers like Tupperware or Rubbermaid — Made from #2 HDPE, #4 LDPE, or #5 PP, and all of these are FDA approved and safe for repeated use. These are made to be durable and long-lasting, but if they start to develop scratches or warp, it is best to recycle these.
This is all great, but I still have so much waste that ends up in the landfill! What am I to do?
Often, it seems that there is very little we can do, especially when we are trying to save money and feed ourselves and our families. It becomes an added stress to worry about the waste we can’t help. But we can use our voice and some of our purchasing decisions to advocate for change. We can also waste differently through reducing and reusing when safe and possible. Stay curious and stand for a better future. If you can’t financially do it, someone who can will see/hear you. If you can only change your purchases and habits a little bit, voice it and encourage others to do what they can. Continue to share your knowledge and experiences. We can alleviate the impact our waste has on the environment for our generation and generations to come as long as we take the first steps towards doing so.
Step 2: Kitchen Waste
Before you landfill, consider:
- Reusing cans as plant holders (not recommended for edible plants due to the inner plastic coating and small size), containers for craft supplies, and other DIY projects.
- Reusing glass containers/bottles for food scrap storage to keep in the fridge for compost later, plant holders, water vessels, food storage, candle holders, sauces/jams, replacements for mason jars you would buy, etc.
- Keeping a bag of cleaned “trash” like produce netting and twist ties, plastic-lined cardboard like Ben and Jerry’s and other ice cream tubs (the lids don’t last a wash), and general plastic packaging. These could come in handy for gift packaging, crafts, and storage.
- Reusing plastic bags for your groceries or for crocheting mats and bags.
- Check to see if there is an organization in your area or nationally that accepts hard to recycle plastics. This is an example of one nationally.
- Composting! If you’re not already familiar with worm composting, bokashi composting, or composting with a pickup service, I highly recommend giving these options a look. They all approach diverting food scraps away from the landfill in different ways and offer benefits for your nutrition, garden, and earth. Best part though? After the learning curve, they are incredibly low maintenance and fun! For more information:
Worm composting (Vermicompost)
An example of a composting service
Step 3: Energy
Below you will see the energy costs for common kitchen appliances. The list isn’t exhaustive — it only covers appliances that you can unplug. Fridges and ovens can’t always be unplugged safely, but you can make purchasing and habitual decisions that factor in energy efficiency and maintenance care.
Microwave — 1,000 watts on average to run. On standby it runs about 5 watts continuously to keep the clock and/or display on. You can save energy by cutting power when not in use. Currently, you’re losing around $5.25/yr for energy usage that isn’t benefiting you!
Coffee Maker — Let’s say your coffee maker takes about 950 watts to run. If it has automatic shut off after 2 hours, then it will run during that time to ensure that your brew stays warm. This will cost about $83.22/yr. I highly recommend powering off the coffee machine immediately after use and only brewing the amount of water you need in the moment. It will save you more money to turn it off and then turn it back on if you need to use it again, rather than leaving it idle (when you potentially won’t even need that extra cup that stayed heated for that time). Manual methods like french press and pour over will save you more energy but will require more time on your part. Similar to microwaves, you can save standby energy by unplugging when not in use.
Crock-Pot — A 1.5 quart crock-pot can use about 120 watts and a 8 quart one can use about 320 watts. Let’s say you use these for eight hours, that will cost about $0.12/day (for 1.5 quarts) and $0.31/day. To place this in perspective, crock-pots use significantly less energy than ovens. Electric ovens use about 2,400 watts. Let’s say you use an oven for an hour, that’s about $0.30. Obviously electric ovens are more energy efficient (when certified by Energy Star) than crock-pots, but crock-pots are cheaper overall in initial cost, maintenance, and energy usage over time. It entirely depends on your cooking habits and lifestyle in regards to which one is better. However, electrical ovens contribute to a higher carbon footprint due to the amount of energy used, maintenance, and end life (many end up in landfills).
Air Fryers — On average, they use 1,425 watts — about 1,000 watts less than an oven. Using one for an hour a day would cost you about $0.17/day and $62.41/yr. They’re healthier, cleaner, and more energy-efficient than deep fryers and ovens, but they are of smaller capacity than ovens. If you would like to see more comparisons, this blog does a great job at comparing air fryers to other common appliances that seem to achieve the same result.
Blender — On average, they use about 550 watts and don’t really use energy on standby, since there is no need for standby unless they need energy to run a display like the microwave and coffee maker.
Rice Cooker — A 1-liter rice cooker on average consumes about 450 watts and a 1.8-liter rice cooker on average consumes 650 watts. It costs $0.054/day to run a 1-liter rice cooker for an hour and $0.078/day to run a 1.8-liter rice cooker.
If you have the ability to unplug, is it worth it if there is not a standby mode or the energy usage is minimal? If there is not a standby mode, the incentive and necessity to unplug are nonexistent. If there is a standby mode, it is definitely worth unplugging for energy savings and reducing your carbon footprint from idle and wasteful energy usage. Convenience is nice but convenience depletes resources and causes an inconvenience in other ways we may not immediately consider.
Step 4: Water
Did you know that it takes about 20 gallons of water to wash a full sink of dishes while it only takes a dishwasher about 4.5 gallons?
If you have access to a dishwasher, use this over handwashing when the dishwasher or sink is full. For smaller loads, washing in the sink won’t use as much as 20 gallons, but try to minimize running water by shutting it off in between scrubbing. If you have a two-compartment sink, using one side for soaking/scrubbing and the other side for rinsing can definitely help cut down on water usage. Just be mindful of how much water you use on both sides and for when the rinse doesn’t clean the dish well enough.
And voila! You have made your kitchen more eco-friendly without breaking the bank. Was this “recipe” missing anything? Do you think this recipe can be improved? Leave a comment below! I would love to hear from you.
You can also send comments and inquiries to rerecyclechi@gmail.com.
Until next time! Best wishes.
