| Recycling |
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Whenever possible, buy products that have some recycled content, such as kitchen paper, bin bags and glassware and don't forget to do your own recycling. You can tear up old T-shirts to use as dusters; use old toothbrushes for tricky cleaning tasks such as the grater and the juicer; empty jars of pasta sauce are ideal for storing dry goods such as rice or beans; and washing-up liquid or drinks bottles with the ends cut off can be used as protective cloches around young seedlings in the garden. Recycle plastic shopping bags by using them to line your waste-paper basket or take them back to the shops with you. Instead of buying new, consider car boot (garage) sales, second-hand stores or markets for unwanted kitchen items - you will save money as well. For the ultimate in recycling consider setting up a composting system - either a traditional compost heap or bin in the garden, or a wormery indoors. You will save on bin bags as you will have less than half the amount of refuse you did before and you will see your garden bloom with the help of all your leftover vegetable peelings. For cans, glass and plastic bottles, newspapers and magazines, aluminum foil and cardboard set up a recycling system in your kitchen or look out for a local recycling service, which gives you a recycled plastic box in which to store recyclables, which it then picks up weekly. Food matters What you choose to fill your cupboards, fridge and freezer with has a direct impact on the environment. Make sure you buy food as near its natural state as possible, which has the least amount of packaging and is preferably organic. Ideally, you will be able to supplement your store-bought items with home-grown goods - such as tomatoes from hanging baskets and lettuces from your window box. Even the most time-pressed among us can manage to grow a few herbs in our kitchens and the pleasures of freshly cut herbs could be all you need to inspire you to greater things in your cooking. Clean green The pressure on modern homeowners to keep their kitchens spotless is intense. We are bombarded by advertisements promising sparkling taps (faucets), sinks and surfaces with a liberal sprinkling of whatever spray, liquid or cream that is being promoted. These days, many people have grown up thinking that a different product is required for each item to be cleaned, and thus the average home contains numerous plastic bottles full of noxious, polluting cleaning agents. The irony is, however, that many people's kitchens are no cleaner than they used to be. Most bacteria are killed by the application of hot, soapy water - something that is increasingly ignored now there are wonder products on the market that promise shining results without the elbow grease. And the advent of antibacterial products such as scourers, chopping boards, washing-up liquids and hand wash are not a long-term answer. There are real concerns that the bugs they are designed to kill may be developing resistance to the disinfectant used. With an estimated 95 per cent of US households using bleach and 20 per cent of these using it at least once a day, it is clear that there is going to be a battle to persuade most people to change their cleaning ways. But the impact on our waterways and wildlife, our health and our purses mean it is a worthwhile change to make. |
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