In the previous article, I took you to the room that I feel is easiest to adapt to a zero waste lifestyle, the bathroom. Today I'm taking you into the kitchen and giving you my tips.
1. Buy from a packaging-free shop
Start collecting all your empty glass jars to use them in a packaging-free shop. Here you first weight the jar and then you can fill it with whatever you need. It looks nice and you save a lot of packaging. Check here to see which one is closest to you:
Zero-waste shops in Ghent
Zero-waste shops in Antwerp
Zero-waste shops in Brussels
Have a look at the Discovery Guide Mixua for more addresses
2. Replace your plastic freezer bags by glass jars and stasher bags
Glass jars are perfect to use in your freezer. Put in what you have left (and want to put in the freezer), but don't overfill the jar. Put the lid on tightly and put it in the freezer.
Stasher bags are also a good alternative. These are made of silicone and can be reused countless times. If you have used it and want to use it again, you can put it in your dishwasher or wash it by hand and it is ready for reuse.
3. Avoid wasting food
This is actually the most important tip I can give you. Wasting food is actually the worst thing you can do if you want to live a zero-waste life. By using up everything and getting rid of leftovers, you limit the amount of food that is thrown away. If you have a vegetable and you don't know what to do with it, just type it into google with the word "recipe" behind it and you will get lots of inspiration. Leftover vegetables are also good in any soup and fruit is perfect in a smoothie.
4. Make your own nut drinks
This is so easy to do! But, you really need a blender to make your own vegetable milk. Here you can find some easy and delicious recipes.
5. Replace your paper towels with kitchen rags or reusable paper towels
I have a pile of paper towels that I use for cleaning up in the kitchen, but the reusable paper towels are also ideal if you are looking for an alternative.
6. Drink less coffee and more tea
Most coffee machines are extremely polluting. Especially the well-known ones like Nespresso, Dolce gusto, Senseo, etc. create a lot of waste. You can choose to buy a refillable coffee capsule like the ones for Nespresso or Dolce Gusto or you can choose loose tea instead.
7. For washing up
Ditch those plastic sponges and go for one made of loofah or for an eco-friendly brush. Those plastic sponges: create a lot of waste, release microplastics into your water and eventually end up in the ocean. By choosing an eco-friendly variant, you will have less waste and it will be healthier for you and the environment.
8. More inspiration: participate in an online zero-waste workshop
Would you like even more inspiration? Mixua has created online workshops full of useful tips & tricks and inspiring guests. It's a fun way to deal with this because every week you get a module with tips and challenges to get started.
It hasn't been easy for me either to live a zero waste lifestyle and I still have steps to take. Like the coffee tip, that's one I'll be taking away for myself too. But hopefully I've been able to inspire you to change one thing.
About Esmee
Esmee blogs on heartfullyconscious.be about green, sustainable and conscious living with
a hint of spirituality. She continues this on her instagram.
About Mixua
Mixua believes that everyone can make a positive impact. Therefore we want to inspire on the way to a more ecological lifestyle. We do this through different activities like Eco Tours, online workshops and the online Discovery Guide.
More ecological inspiration and tips & tricks:
Facebook @mixua.eco
Instagram @mixua.eco
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