Eco Switches - In the Kitchen!

Have you ever taken a look around your kitchen and really noticed the amount of single use plastic there is tucked away in your cupboards and fridge? We are here to help with some very simple ideas that you could implement to reduce the plastic all around you and polluting our planet. Of course we aren't going to reduce your plastic use in the kitchen by 100%, not even close, but every little helps and here are products that we sell at Ele and Me and use in our homes. We also have a few extra tips on how you could save single use plastic when shopping. 

Why not grab a cuppa, a pen and paper, and brain storm with us some ideas that could help save you money and less pollution on our planet too.

Now, I am a coffee person myself, I don't use coffee pods. I either use a local Fair trade ground coffee bean through our machine for a coffee shop style cuppa (milk frothing is actually really simple with some youtube tutorials and practice), my favourite! Or I use a Fair trade instant coffee that comes in a glass jar. - 1st idea, ditch the coffee pod machine!

Tea, most teas are now fair trade, but some brands of tea bags still contain micro plastics to make the bag itself. Imagine those teabags in the dump releasing micro-plastics into the natural environment, polluting the ground and  the waterways, escaping into your cuppa too. We have a solution for you, why not try our Organic Cotton reusable drawstring tea bags and some Fair Trade loose leaf tea from your local shops to fill them with? 5 for £3.50.

Reusable cotton tea bags

Cleaning chemicals, how many bottles of different cleaning chemicals do you have for your kitchen? We have a solution that comes in the form of soluble sachets, called Ocean Saver.  Often cleaning chemical sprays contain chemicals that could be harmful to children and pets, they also contain lots of water. Imagine all that transportation of bulky cleaning chemicals and water that could be saved by simply buying Ocean Saver sachets instead and reusing the same spray bottle over and over, also saving on plastic waste.

Ocean saver are plant-based, cruelty free, plastic free, biodegradable, vegan, paraben and palm oil free.

They simply need to be added to 750ml of warm water (no more and no less) and shaken to produce a strong and effective cleaner that is much more eco-friendly than other cleaners. It works just as well in hard water as it does in soft water. Since they’re refills they can be added to the spray bottles you have at home - as long as the bottle has been thoroughly cleaned out beforehand. The pods have been made from PVOH which biodegrades in water into natural molecules of carbon dioxide and water. There’s a whole range of different cleaners on offer so you’ll definitely find something to suit your every need for the kitchen and the rest of the house. Have a peek here.

Ocean Saver Cleaning Products - Eco kitchen

Cling Film... Cling film is very handy, however so are our BeeBee Bees Wax Wrap alternatives. Perfect for covering bowls in fridges and wrapping food. Making little pouches to keep you herbs fresh for longer, your salad crisp and your sourdough or bread fresh! We will be explaining how in a Blog of its own very soon! So our BeeBee Wraps come in packs of all different sizes depending on what you want to do with the wraps. I use most the larger wraps for covering bowls of leftovers and anything that has been opened that needs covering. They are a GOTS certified organic cotton material specially covered in a mixture of British Bees wax, Organic Jojoba Oil and Rosin from mainly pines and conifers, made in the UK. They last around a year or longer depending on use, but if they loose their grip you can re-wax them to extend the lifespan. You CANNOT put wraps in the microwave or dishwasher, but you can use them for covering items in the freezer (they need to be bought back to room temperature to reuse again). To clean them you just give them a wash in cool soapy water and dry. We don't recommend using them to cover raw meat or fish, but you can store these in a bowl and pop the wrap over the top. 

If you would rather not have a Bees wax wrap we also sell Leaf Wraps, which are a similar vegan alternative. 

If you would like to give Wraps a try instead of Cling Film use the code WRAPIT on our website for 15% off our range of BeeBee and Leaf wraps. 

Beebee wraps - alternative to cling film

Scourers, I hate having metal scourers around the sink, they go rusty, shed little metal pieces and ruin non-stick pans. Eco-coconut scourers and bottle brushes have been a great alternative. They are made from coconut hairs and are great for cleaning pans and any stuck on stains that don't come off with a dishcloth. a really simple switch that isn't harmful to the environment and naturally biodegrades when disposed of. Check out our Eco-Coconut scourers and brushes HERE.

Use the discount code SCRUBUP to get a FREE Eco-coconut Bottle Brush* when you Spend over £40 on Eco Home Products on our Website (You must add the bottle brush to your cart and then use the discount code at the checkout). *while stocks last.

Eco coconut scourer - Plastic free kitchen swaps

One kitchen item that I've rarely ever bought in the past was Kitchen Roll, I've never really worked out the benefit of it. I use Tea Towels, soft, cotton kitchen towels to dry crockery and food etc after washing, we have a large pile of around 30 tea towels in a draw and admittedly I use a few a day, but they do everything I would need a paper towel for. When washing them I wash at 60 or 90 degrees and never use conditioner, as it decreases the absorbency of the towel. Remember cleaning cloths and drying cloths could also be made from old clothes you would be throwing out. 

When buying meat at your local butchers quite often they are happy to pop your meat in your own containers, thus saving the wrapping waste. Just take your own labeled Tupperware with you. 

When shopping for vegetables we have some great cotton bags which saves you using the plastic bags that the supermarkets or greengrocers supply. If you are weighing yourself you can just stick the stickers on your shopping list for the assistant to scan at the checkout. If you are handy on a sewing machine or with a needle and thread you could also re-purpose your old clothes into produce bags too!

plastic free food bags, eco-kitchen

How is your brain storming coming along? We could talk for pages and pages about ways reduce your waste, but these are some great simple ideas that you could implement straight away or over the coming months as your old supplies run out. Remember, changing the way you do things or have done things for many years can be overwhelming, so take it easy, work out your easy switches and then gradually get used to them one by one. Our next Blog is going to be looking at Eco Bathroom Switches, sign up to our Newsletter to hear when its ready!

We hope we've given you some great ideas and if you fancy a chat or any more advice why not drop us a post in our friendly Facebook Chat group, We look forward to meeting you there.

 

Annie x

21/01/2021

 

* Offers Valid whilst stock lasts or until 29/02/2021. Only 1 offer/discount code per order can be used. Offer can only be used once per customer.

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