Perhaps you’re the type of person who consumes seasonal vegetables, scours farmers’ markets for local fruit, and makes sure that sirloin is extensively farmed because you’re concerned about the planet you’re leaving to your heirs. But if you then go into the kitchen, dry your hands with disposable paper, and use polyurethane scouring pads — a non-recyclable plastic material that goes straight into the trash can — you still have room for improvement. Here are a few ideas to make the kitchen a less wasteful place.
coconut cleaner
The green scourer of all life releases micro- and nanoplastics: the sustainable bet is the recyclable and biodegradable coconut scouring pads that you can use thoroughly in pots with stubborn stains without fear of scratching them. These from Safix, available from Zero Residue for €3.36 in one large size – 10 x 15 cm, which can be easily cut to two regular sizes – are made by rural Indian women at a company that is responsible for their labor rights .
or loofah
The loofah are the vegetal fibers from which the exfoliating bath sponges are made. It’s rough and off-road; something like sponge nickel, but in vegetables, specifically from the squash and zucchini family. These from Mimook cost 3.80 euros and are produced in a sustainable, traditional way, without pesticides and processed with thermal water in Galicia.
Swedish towels
Reaching for kitchen roll to dry, clean, or whatever else in the kitchen is a luxury no Amazonian grove can resist: cellulose and recycled cotton towels are coming to give the forests a break. Expressed in numbers: A single cloth spreads out like 25 rolls of paper and withstands around 50 wash cycles in the washing machine. They absorb up to 15 times their weight and while it sounds frivolous, some are cute. These have great reviews and cost 14.39 for a pack of 10 units.
reusable mug
Coffee in disposable cups from your favorite coffee shop might be pretty cool, but it’s totally unsustainable. Whether it’s made from paper or recycled plastic, disposable is a concept that needs to be buried. You’re doing the planet a favor by switching to reusable cups. This one is called Save The Planet and is made of PLA or polylactic acid, an eco-plastic made from corn starch. It’s 100% biodegradable and as if that wasn’t enough, it’s microwave and dishwasher safe. At the English court.
Mesh for cooking chickpeas
Your grandma has already used it, it’s not new either. Or yes, because one fine day the nylons came and the crochet hooks lost the game. The bad thing is, the tiny plastics they release when they cook them are now a problem for marine life. So if you don’t want them ending up in the belly of your next hake, you can crochet a chickpea net or buy one already. Made with 100% cotton. It is washed with the rest of the laundry in the washing machine.
Save onions
Let’s face it: as much as you love onions, you don’t always use a whole onion when you cook. So strip off cling film or aluminum foil and put it in the fridge. At the end of your life, that’s a lot of wasted meters. The alternative? An onion holder like this of words: no more bad smells in the fridge and guaranteed freshness for your half onion. Extra bonus: It’s dishwasher safe.
manual lemon squeezer
Next up are the halves. Suppose you want to add a few drops of lemon to the tea. Are you pressing it hands-free? Do you throw away half a lemon that’s almost whole, or do you keep it slightly mashed in the fridge with its usual little piece of foil? This lemon squeezer from Lékue (13.90 euros in its own store) won the prize for design and technological innovation at Madrid Fusión and the Good Design Award. It is used to press seeds without touching them and without falling. If there is any left, cover and store the rest in the fridge. Design and fight food waste in the same product.
Silicone zip pocket
Zip bags narrowly escaped the European directive that banned single-use plastics, the same one that swept away single-use straws or cutlery. The fact is that they can be reused, but they are difficult to wash and they break after a few uses. The environmentally friendly alternative are these self-adhesive bags made of reusable silicone. Suitable for storing food, freezing and even sous vide cooking. These are from the Australian brand Ladelle and are sold at Claudia & Julia for 12.95 euros.
Funnel for recycling oil
Did you know that one liter of oil can contaminate up to 1,000 liters of water? Clearly throwing the oil from frying the croquettes down the drain is a rude and unsustainable disaster. The right thing to do is to put it in a plastic bottle that you throw away and take it to the clean or green dot. But pouring oil from a frying pan into an empty, light bottle takes a pulse. This strainer fits perfectly in the neck of the bottle to reach without spilling. A designer detail is that it has a place so the bottle cap doesn’t get lost and you can close it once you’re done. It’s from Ibili and you can get it at Hiperchef for 4.02 euros.
Bamboo towels
Handmade, plastic-free and local. We can now make the countertop shine like the gold rays without destroying the planet. This cloth consists of 60% bamboo, 40% GOTS organic cotton and 0% plastic and costs 4.50 euros. Made from Midonnite, it is reusable and biodegradable; Suitable for many scrubbing jobs, it is washed cold in the washing machine and when the time comes, all you have to do is 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, very strong and light, and with a high quality non-stick coating, it allows you to cook with less oil without fear of your food sticking to the pan because organic is not in contradicting being healthy. Approved for all types of cookers, including induction, for sale in Alcampo and at very reasonable prices: 16.99 euros for the 24 cm and 19.99 for the 28 cm.
Walnut shell scouring pads
To be greener you need to eliminate everything that is harmful to the environment and reuse everything that could be useful. These scouring pads recycle the plastic from their green part and reuse the shells of dried fruits like walnuts or hazelnuts (the nail saver is made of cellulose). You can find it at Biomeco for 3.50 euros.
Recycled kitchen roll
Halfway between a kitchen paper roll and a traditional towel, this roll is made from washable, reusable and biodegradable organic cotton towels with no dyes. Each cloth measures approximately 30 x 25 centimetres, millimeters above, millimeters below because they are made by hand. When dirty, they are washed with neutral soap and rolled up again to be used again. In Midonnita they sell them for 27 euros per pack of 10.
Garbage bags made from recycled plastic
If we want to be sustainable in the kitchen, it makes little sense that the garbage bags are made of virgin plastic. “Our bags are made from 100% recycled plastic, the plastic that we throw in the yellow bin, greenhouse plastic and industrial waste, especially from the automotive sector,” explains Álvaro Salmerón, one of the parents of Relevo, a young Valencian company with the Desire to breathe new life into plastic. They are non-spill, have a capacity of 30 liters and are up to 20% stronger than regular bin liners and are available in most major supermarket chains (ask PVP depending on facility).
silicone lid
You save time and plastic, what more could you ask for? Food Huggers Bright Berry Stretchy Silicone Lids live up to their name (Food Choppers). They press against the food until they create a vacuum, allowing you to cover the zucchini left open or the sad half tomato you didn’t use in the salad. The thing about saving time is that the transparent slide, a candidate to serve this function, usually gets stuck and it usually takes a while to find the beginning, and you know it. You have them at Planeta Huerto for 16.95 euros for a set of six (in different colors and sizes).
Cotton coffee filter
Do you have a filter coffee machine and still use disposable paper filters like in the early 20th century? Step into the 21st century, embrace sustainability and try filters made from recycled cotton and hemp. These are made in Spain by Minimall, a brand born as part of the Sinplástico.com project, and the small ones cost 2.40 euros. After each use, simply rinse under cold running water, dry and ready for the next cup.
Reusable bags for fruit and vegetables
Although there are compostable or paper bags in some supermarkets, it’s always more sustainable to use something that doesn’t create waste or energy costs. Cotton bags are a great resource as they take up little space and are very light and durable. These from Carrefour measure 33×48 cm and cost 3.99 euros in a pack of three.