For the most part, my kitchen is well situated for this goal. I live alone, which helps immensely, but the fact that I just moved into a new apartment allows me to start from scratch.
I have always prided myself on being able to recycle effectively, but composting is something that I have never done well. Obtaining a in-kitchen compost bin was the first step I took.
From past composting en devours, the biggest take-away I could think of was how SMELLY it made my kitchen. I decided that I wanted to get a container that is big enough to hold a good amount of compost material while being able to effectively contain all the smell that goes hand in and with composting.
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| My In-Kitchen, tight sealing compost bin! |
The image above is the container I chose to hold all my compost during this project and hopefully for the foreseeable future! I chose this container for a number or reasons. Firstly, it is a great size, being able to hold 6 liters of liquid. The lid is water tight, ideal for keeping in the stinky by-products of a compost bin. Another great aspect of this bin is that it has a bottom insert that acts as a strainer that will allow any liquid that is created to remain separate from any solids that are in it. Lastly, the container I chose can easily be cleaned after I dump it's contents into my buildings compost bin!
One of the most common items I have been throwing away for years is paper towel. I cringe every time I buy a new pack, it feel's like throwing away money! In order to effectively make my kitchen a no-waste area, I needed to get rid of my paper towel habit and get my hands on some reusable towels.
Two years ago, I worked at Eco-education facility that tried to be as self sufficient as possible. I remembered that even though they had numerous guests come through, they never bought paper towels. Instead they had what seemed like a infinite number of small rectangular pieces of fabric that served as their towels. I used this idea in combination with my need to get rid of old t-shirts in order to never buy paper towels again.
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| Making some T-shirt paper towels. |
I decided to gather up a bunch of old t-shirts and cut them into small cloths that I can use as napkins and paper towels. Once they are used, I plan on washing them with my bathroom towels and kitchen rags, leaving behind the need to buy paper towels. This idea has been working amazingly and was very, very easy to do!
Getting started is always hard, but once a project has started to roll it's easy to keep it moving. I have a lot left to do in regards to effectively converting my kitchen. Next step is to find places that I can by my food without any packaging. I also have some questions about what exactly I can and cannot recycle in the city of Hamilton, mainly, what do I do with plastic bags?
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