Wasteless Wednesday: Don't Throw That Away!
Every Wednesday, I’m going to share with you some of my favorite ways to work toward a zero waste 24 hours in the kitchen. These tips are easy to implement, affordable (anyone else a fan of saving $$$?), and kind to our planet.
I know. You want to Kon Mari allthethings rather than hold on to stuff. But hear me out! There are some things that come into your kitchen that often end up in the trash that can be put to good use in your home. Today's post is short and sweet, as usual, and all about what I like to keep around and reuse so that my life is a little more tidy. Some of these tips are probably old news, but I think we all need reminders to be less wasteful, even when it comes to the little things. Because lets face it: we all get lazy and just don't want to deal with it so into the trash it goes, right? Yeah. Let's help each other do less of that.
- Jars. Glass jars leftover from jam, pasta sauce, and a million other condiments can definitely be recycled. They also make perfect storage containers for art supplies your kids leave scattered around the house! I love to use widemouth jars for markers and crayons, and smaller jars for things like beads, rubber bands, and other nicknacks.
- Individual Yogurt Containers. Again, many of these can be recycled. BUT before you toss them, consider washing them out and setting them aside to use as paint holders. My kids LOVE to paint but I find myself saying no sometimes because I don't want to deal with the mess. These containers allow them to paint and mix colors however they want and, aside from the risk of my floor getting messy if they move all the newspaper I have spread everywhere, painting becomes a relatively painless experience!
- Twist ties & Rubber Bands. Do you ever find yourself searching for a way to keep a random bag closed? Or hold a bunch of pencils together? Or attach a note to your child's water bottle or school lunch? There are so many random times when I find myself in need of a rubber band or twist tie. These items are almost always on some form of produce I've purchased at the grocery store, so I save them and keep them in a little container in my "junk drawer". These also make great additions to a craft drawer for kiddos!
There you have it! Super basic ways to get a few uses out of what would normally serve its purpose and be tossed out. How do you reuse items from your kitchen cabinets or pantry? I wanna hear your awesome ideas in the comments!