7 simple things to switch in the kitchen to reduce waste

Zero Waste – less kitchen waste with a few smart choices.

With a few simple swaps, you can easily reduce the amount of waste that ends up in the bin.
Here, we share tips on making some wise swaps that can be truly worthwhile, both financially and for the environment.

Do you pay for your waste by weight? Many people do, and with these small “sacrifices,” you can quickly see the results in the form of lower waste-management costs.

Just think how fantastic it is that we, as individuals, can make a few small, simple swaps and make such a big difference.

Here are our 7 tips for things to swap

1. Swap plastic bags for reusable bags. Get a sturdy fabric bag made from recycled materials for all your shopping.
   A newly produced fabric bag takes quite a while to “pay for itself” environmentally, but it is a completely different matter when you buy a bag made from 100% recycled material.
2. Plastic wrap – swap it for beeswax wraps. Plastic wrap does not account for a large proportion of the weight of your waste, but over the course of a year, you use quite a lot of it, and plastic wrap is truly a disposable item. Get a couple of beeswax wraps in different sizes and you will notice how much you save.
3. Swap your dishcloth for a washable alternative. A dishcloth made from Swedish-grown linen and produced in Sweden is a good environmental choice. The cloth can be washed almost endlessly, and it is actually locally grown and locally produced—which is always a good environmental choice.
4. Swap your lunch box for one made of stainless steel or glass. This will save you a lot of waste. Imagine a stack of five lunch boxes, then multiply that stack by 48 working weeks… wow… that is a lot of plastic you can avoid.
5. Tea bags – swap them for a stainless-steel tea infuser. This may seem like a small detail, but wow, how much it adds up over an entire year. Replace your tea bags with organic loose-leaf tea and a stainless-steel tea infuser, and you have made yet another saving.
6. Swap coffee filters for a metal filter. This is a great way to reduce weight—coffee grounds are heavy, and if you cannot compost them, they are a major culprit in the bin.
7. Join a REKO ring. Search in your Facebook app. Find a local REKO ring and start buying directly from your local farmers. Cities often offer this option too, and you know what? It is absolutely fantastic! You place your order on Facebook, meet up (REKO rings have designated collection points and days/times), pay (often via Swish), and receive locally produced ingredients. We can promise you that they are good for the environment. They are also rarely packaged in lots of plastic, AND when you buy goods through a REKO ring, you tend to handle them better and reduce food waste.