5 ways to make your kitchen eco-friendly

If you’re preparing for a new kitchen and you want to be as environmentally friendly as possible, then you can make a start with the design. Opt for sustainable materials, such as MDF or bamboo.

Think about your lighting: layering focused lighting options from the ceiling to the worktop means you can just use the lighting  required – rather than wasting energy lighting the whole room.

Directional, angled spotlights from the ceiling are the perfect way to use less lighting while reaching more space. This will brighten up the main part of the room, meaning less energy is required.

To ensure safe cooking, your worktops should be well lit. LED downlights will not only brighten up the key areas of the kitchen as task lighting, but they’ll also do it in an environmentally friendly way to minimise energy usage.

Food waste is not only a drain on your finances, it’s also a waste of energy that can negatively impact the planet. The production, transportation and cooking of food uses up resources such as energy, water and fuel that are becoming increasingly precious to the environment.

Portioning out your food, planning set amounts and not cooking more than is required will help reduce food waste in the kitchen. You could buy local produce or even consider going vegan as agricultural meat production creates a lot of methane, which contributes to climate change.

You can also take time to think about the products you use in your kitchen. Replace paper towels with reusable ones, store foods in reusable containers and check the labels of your cleaning products to use more organic ingredients. Consider each small step towards a greener kitchen as a bigger step towards saving the environment.

It might come as a shock, but dishwashers can more energy efficient than hand washing your dishes.

Dishwashers are a great way to minimise both the amount of water and energy you use washing your dishes. This is because a dishwasher uses less energy to heat the water it needs than is used in heating the water to fill a sink, plus you’ll probably have to fill the sink a few times in a day whereas most homes only use the dishwasher once a day.

Find out more about energy efficient appliances in our article on how to choose energy efficient appliances.

Once you’ve considered how to design your kitchen in a more environmentally-friendly way,, there are a number of ways you can reduce your carbon footprint from the day-to-day tasks within your kitchen.

One huge way you can make your kitchen more eco-friendly is by using recycling bins properly. Key tips for recycling in the kitchen are:

• Make sure you’re separating out your waste into plastics, food waste, glass and paper
• Buy a bin that is already separated to prompt recycling straightaway
• Ensure any material you’re recycling is clean and dry before putting them in the bin