The evil lurking under my kitchen sinkLast week I went around the house and did a cursory analysis of waste sources and came up with plenty of room for improvement. There's much more that needs transforming but I'm going to start at home and go from there. I've split things up by room. I've decided to start with the kitchen.
I included the brand names simply for the purpose of emphasizing that I haven't already converted to a more green option if it exists. I want to classify each factor by splitting them up into 2 categories:
1. Things I can easily change with little change on my quality of life, identified with *
2. Things that are more difficult to change and that have negative alternatives, identified with ^
That way we can tackle the easiest problems first and not get bogged down.
Here's a rough list of non sustainable products I use on a regular basis:
Paper products:
- Papertowels ^ - Needed for some messier spills but usage could be reduced
- Paper napkins * - can be replaced with fabric napkins
- Glad Cling Wrap ^ - Not sure of a nonplastic alternative
- Ziploc Bags – Quart and gallon ^ - again not sure of a nonplastic alternative
- Liquid Dish Soap - Ajax * - Replace with a vegetable based liquid dish soap
- Dishwasher powder – Cascade Dawn Action Pacs ^ - not sure of an alternative
- Handsoap – in a disposable container * - use a permanent pump with veg based soap
- Disposable O-cello sponges ^ - not sure of permanent sponge options
- Kitchen surface cleaner Seventh Generation - already ok, no need to change
- Appliances
- Toaster ^
- GE Microwave ^
- Rice Cooker ^
- Refrigerator ^
- Stove/Oven ^
- No low flow nozzle on sink * get a low flow nozzle from the hardware store & install
- Food packaging ^ - buying food sans packaging will be difficult
- Plastic reusable Tupperware - no need to change since it's reusable
So the things I can easily modify are as follows:
1. Paper napkins * - can be replaced with fabric napkins
2. Plastic trash bags * - can be replaced with biodegradable bags
3. Liquid Dish Soap - Ajax * - Replace with a vegetable based liquid dish soap
4. Handsoap – in a disposable container * - use a permanent pump with veg based soap
5. No low flow nozzle on sink * get a low flow nozzle from the hardware store & install
I'm going to tackle these 5 problems in the next few posts, if you guys have any suggestions on ways you've taken care of them or solutions for other problems listed above please feel free to comment.
8 comments:
I wash my ziploc bags. They'll last a while and you can reduce your ziploc use. If you can use aluminum foil instead of saran wrap, greenfeet.com sells recycled aluminum foil.
For scrubbies- you can use a mesh onion bag as a scouring scrubby.
Hope this was helpful!
Oh, sorry, re: hand soap. I think bar soap is actually the better way to go simply because you're going to still have to buy giant plastic containers of liquid soap.
Maybe look at kissmyface.com or lush.com for possibilities. Lush has the advantage that their soaps are wrapped in paper not plastic.
true on the soap arduous, *sigh* there's just something about bar soap that freaks me out. It's all slimy, but I did switch to Dr. Bronner's bar soaps from shower gel.
I tried washing my ziplocs but it's hard to get them dry. The sides stick together when wet. How do you keep them dry? I didn't even know there is aluminum foil that's recycled! ROCK ON!
Mesh onion bag sounds like a good idea too! Thank so much, that helps a lot.
For your dishwasher, 7th Generation makes a powder that works nicely.
I recycle my paper towels as long as there isn't something like food oil on it. I put it in paper bags that fold the tops down for the recycling crew.
As an alternative to plastic bags, you can use cellophane bags. However, they aren't easy to find. I have a hard time finding them too.
I still buy my soaps in plastic (Aubrey Organics), but I make sure they are recyclable.
However, on the subject of bar soap as a better greener way to go. My grandmother used to keep a bar of soap in the kitchen, but she also had little chunky knife nearby where she would cut off just enough soap to wash. That way the entire bar wouldn't get slimy. I guess you could even precut the bar into soap flakes so you could have them around anytime you needed them.
Sheltie Girl @ Gluten A Go Go
After washing the plastic bags, I turn them inside out to dry. You don't really need to get the outside too wet, since they weren't really dirty. If you have a dishwasher, you can also always put them in there and sort of stretch them out say in the area where the bowls go?
cool, I'll give the plastic bag washing another whirl. I was just reusing some of them without cleansing. Eeeee!
For kitchen (or any general-purpose) cleaner, re-use your present spray bottle when it runs out and just put in a few fingers of your dish liquid, a quarter cup or less of vinegar and if you want, a bit of peppermint extract (optional). Spray on, rinse off with a sponge/ cloth same as usual.
Scrubbing for sinks: baking soda on a wet sponge with a squirt of dish liquid. Rinse.
Toilet cleaner/disinfectant: same as kitchen cleaner, but add a cap of Tea Tree oil or grapefruit seed oil as a disinfectant.
For scouring all but the toughest pots I use a new toilet brush ( with a very short handle). Works very well. Toughest pots-- one curly wire scrubber lasts forever, if well drained (hang it up).
Wrapping: Look for wax paper. For non-food items use newspaper.
Good luck!
I find that ziplock brand bags wash better than the cheaper brands. They are kind of a pain to dry but inside out propped open a bit they do fine.
Paper towels are really nice for the grossest messes. I also keep a bag of rags under the kitchen sink (old ripped up t-shirts mostly) for spills that are less gross.
There are a couple of natural food co-ops in my town (Bloomington, Indiana) that have dispensers of handsoap and dishsoap where you can fill your own bottles. I would guess there is something like that in Dallas somewhere!
I got some really nice handmade cloth napkins on etsy.com but they were a bit expensive. Etsy also has a wide variety of cloth menstrual pads when you start tackling the bathroom, if you're up for that kind of thing. I also have a divacup that I use sometimes.
Sounds like a great adventure!
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