Painting the kitchen green…

I think I could be doing a much better job ‘going green.’ There’s a lot of stuff that goes into the garbage when I cook – everything from scraps to packaging. I’ll admit, I do still use paper towels, and I don’t always check what ingredients are in my cleaning products. But, according to a number of sources, reducing waste and going green in the kitchen are very possible.

And it all starts when you’re at the store or market picking up whatever goodies you need. A couple of months ago, I wrote about why I’m a fan of shopping at farmers markets. Buying as local as possible is part of having a green kitchen, because the food doesn’t have as far to travel, and, as a result, doesn’t use up as much fuel.

When shopping for food, it’s best to go with as little packaging as possible. Things like Styrofoam and plastic wrap can’t go in the recycling bin, and just end up in landfills. I try to buy my meat at the butcher’s counter, where they wrap it up for me in paper instead of all that extra stuff. Processed foods tend to come with a lot of packaging, too, so the fresher the better. Of course (not that I’ve tried to convert my balcony into a garden myself yet), growing your own produce is the best way to guarantee quality and freshness (and to save a couple of bucks, too).

As most of you have probably heard, drinking tap water it also a good way to keep plastic bottles out of landfills. When saving leftovers (another way of reducing waste), don’t just cover the plates and bowls with plastic wrap. A better way to go is to store them in reusable containers.

Something I still need to get over is my use of paper towels when cleaning, microwaving, or improvising napkins. Of course, cloth towels and napkins would make my kitchen much greener.

I have, however, been able to reduce what’s in my garbage one way: I no longer use paper coffee filters and have moved on to a reusable, metal one. The coffee tastes just as good, and there are at least seven less coffee filters in my garbage every week.

When the cooking’s done and it’s time to clean up, there are some greener choices you can make: cleaning products containing baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and citrus oils are good bets.

And of course, composting, recycling, and buying recycled products to complete the circle are always a sure-fire way to cut down on kitchen waste.

Got any more green tips? Leave a comment or e-mail me at elyse.amend@transcontinental.ca.