Reduce, reuse and recycle. Those are the simple and golden rules of green living. Yet when people think of saving the environment, it has to be through huge acts such as volunteering to clean up wildlife after oil spills. But fact of the matter is, oil spills don’t happen every day (thank goodness!) and they aren’t exactly the main contributors of pollution or deterioration of nature either. The real problem lies with our daily lives and how we are insensitive towards the knowledge that all the small things are those that matter.
To help everyone understand that a little better, this week we’re looking into your kitchen and we’re going to gather together the top 10 things you have in it and how they can be fitted into the golden green rules – 3Rs – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
1. Aluminium foils.
If you cook or bake then you know you have these in one of your kitchen drawers or cabinets. But are you aware that conventional aluminium foils are simply anything but eco-friendly? – read the facts here. But since you and I both know that sometimes it’s just unavoidable to use aluminium foils, the next best thing you can do is make sure you send them for recycling (It takes about 400 years for aluminium to break down naturally) and buy recycled aluminium foils (familiar brands like Reynolds are around to give you confidence in the recycled product).
2. Glass bottles and Jars
Glass is obviously more eco-friendly than plastic which is why many manufacturers try to do their part by packaging/bottling in glass – but sometimes due to the nature of the perishable (wine being one of them), glass bottles just keep them better. If you have jars with screw on lids, you should consider giving them a thorough clean and reusing them to keep other things like sugar or spice, etc. But if you’re sure you can reuse or repurpose any of the bottles or jars then make sure you send them off to be recycled. Be careful when dealing with broken glass!
3. Cardboard boxes.
These are surely to be in your kitchen –almost everything from your son’s favourite cereal to the roll of aluminium foil comes packed in a cardboard box. Be sure you separate those, flatten them out and pack them ready for recycling.
4. Tea bags
Next to coffee, tea is the most common beverage to find in a home. Now don’t you think it’s quite the waste to just give it the toss after a few cups? The great thing about tea bags is you can always repurpose them – use them on your eyes as a beauty solution or in hanging baskets for potted plants.
Continued…
