8 Ways to Green Your Kitchen

This story is part of Earth911’s “Green Eight” series, where we showcase eight ways to green your life in various areas.

So all those gourmet cooking shows have inspired you to spend more time in the kitchen. But between energy use, water use and food/packaging disposal, there’s lots of opportunity to help or hurt the environment in the process. Here’s eight ways to green your time in the kitchen . . . BAM!

1. Set Up Recycling Bins

Over 32 percent of our solid waste is some sort of packaging, and much of this ends up in our kitchen. Depending on your community’s curbside program, you should set up one bin for all recyclables or a different bin for each one. Make sure you are recycling:

• Aluminum cans
• Glass bottles
• Paper (including mail and cardboard boxes)
• Plastic bottles
• Steel cans

You can find out where to recycle packaging using Earth911.

2. Compost Food Waste

Putting food waste down the garbage disposal is a better alternative than throwing it in the trash. But disposals use lots of water. An even better option is to compost your organic food waste, including fruit/vegetable remains, egg shells and coffee grounds (avoid meat and dairy). Compost bins produce nutrient-rich soil for your backyard.

3. Be Time Sensitive

Most of the appliances in your kitchen are designed to make things hot or cold. Interrupting this process wastes lots of energy. Exposing the inside of your refrigerator/oven to room temperature makes them work extra hard to get back to normal. Here’s a few good suggestions to follow:

1. Know what you want before going to the fridge so you limit open door time
2. Use your oven light to check on food instead of opening/closing the door
3. Cook multiple dishes on the same burner so it will already be warm

4. Install a Skylight

Unless you’re a late eater, much of your food preparation time will take place during daylight. Adding a skylight to your kitchen ceiling will reduce the need for artificial lighting, which will in turn cut your kitchen energy use.

It’s also very relaxing to bring a bit of the outdoors into this favorite household room through the use of natural lighting. Some skylights even open to provide ventilation, which can also improve the air quality of your kitchen. Plus, if you happen to burn the dessert, it’s a great way to get the smoke out of your house.

5. Save Grease and Oil

Even the newest George Foreman grill creates grease, and you may be tempted to pour it down the drain. The same thing happens with cooking oil. But your kitchen pipes aren’t made to handle these products. In addition to pipe clogs, your sewer treatment center will have a difficult time with them. Save your grease and oil in a coffee tin and it can be reused for future cooking.

6. Be Dish Savvy

You already have a step in the right direction if you’re using ceramic plates instead of disposable ones. The next step is to fill that dishwasher before running a load. This will cut energy and water use, and extend the life of your dishwasher.

To answer the question about which is better, hand washing plates or using a dishwasher, this is going to depend on way too many factors for a clear answer. If you hand wash dishes, try to fill the sink with water and soak them instead of running the faucet the whole time.

7. Think Long-Term for Cooking Utensils

Metal is king when it comes to long-lasting cooking gear. Stainless steel pots and pans, iron skillets and the like will pay off in the long run. Plus, these items can be recycled easily as scrap metal, so you won’t have to worry about where to take a plastic spatula with egg stains for disposal.

8. Recycle Appliances

Inevitably, your appliances will need to be replaced. If it’s an upgrade, donate your old microwave or toaster to a second-hand store (call before bringing a refrigerator). It the old appliance doesn’t work, get the new appliance delivered and see if the store will take the old one for you. Appliances are made of valuable steel and can contain freon, neither of which belongs in a landfill. You can recycle appliances using Earth911.