The kitchen is the center of a home’s daily routines. The choices you make for your kitchen play a huge part in shaping your lifestyle. They also impact how eco-friendly and cost-effective your household can be.

Since it’s such a place of routine, chances are you make many kitchen product purchases on autopilot. Unfortunately, they may not be the best for the planet or your bank account.

You have a golden opportunity to shift your home in a more sustainable and affordable direction with a few simple shopping choices. Keep reading to discover 10 eco-friendly kitchen products to level up your sustainability and save you money.

1. Reusable Tote Bags

Your quest for a sustainable kitchen starts before you leave for the grocery store. Take a reusable tote bag with you as an eco-friendly way to carry your groceries.

Tote bags make excellent shopping bags for produce and other purchases. They come in various spacious and convenient sizes and are easy to carry. You can also pick up totes in stylish designs.

Quality tote bags can be reused countless times, helping you save. For optimal sustainability, choose bags made from biodegradable materials like bamboo pulp.

2. Sustainable Dinnerware

You’ve brought home your groceries in a stylish tote bag and prepared a delicious meal. Serve it sustainably with eco-friendly plates, bowls and cups.

When purchasing sustainable dinnerware items, look out for:

• Sustainably sourced materials and eco-friendly manufacturing processes
• Recycled and eco-friendly materials, including porcelain, ceramics and glass
• Reusable, rather than disposable, products whenever possible
• Biodegradable materials, especially if you do need something disposable

3. Reusable Zip-Close Bags

If you want to save leftovers for later, or pack a lunch, choose reusable zip-close bags over plastic wrap. Stocking up on reusable zip-close bags saves you money compared to buying clingwrap or other disposable plastic packaging solutions over and over again. They are also kinder to the environment, reducing the amount of plastic waste entering our oceans. 

Choose reusable zip-close bags made from recycled or compostable materials to keep the circle of sustainability going when they reach the end of their life spans. Stainless steel or glass containers are options, as well.

4. Beeswax Wraps

Alternatively, you could swap out plastic wrap for reusable beeswax wraps.

These natural, eco-friendly wraps are perfect for covering leftovers. Reusing them prevents waste and saves you money, courtesy of the busy bees. They can last up to a year and will biodegrade when it’s time to discard them.

Search for beeswax wraps in the right sizes and shapes for your needs. 

5. Eco-Friendly Dish Sponges

When you’ve eaten your fill and packed away the leftovers, it’s time to wash up. Using eco-friendly dish sponges is one way to make this step more sustainable and affordable.

Traditional dish sponges are made from ocean-polluting plastics. Replace these with natural, sustainable sponges. Options include:

• Plant-based loofah sponges
• Recycled sponges
• Coconut fiber sponges
• Bamboo brushes
• Wood fiber cellulose sponges

These eco-friendly dish sponge alternatives are far more environmentally sustainable than the conventional sponges that pollute the oceans with microplastics. Plus, many of them are durable enough to save you money in the long term, as you won’t be constantly replacing nasty, plastic sponges.

6. Organic Kitchen Towels

Need a towel to dry those dishes or your hands? Reusable, organic kitchen towels are a sustainable choice, beating paper and synthetic towels for cost-effectiveness and health:

• Use them repeatedly to save on buying roll after roll of paper towels. When they get dirty, simply disinfect them in boiling water to eliminate waste. 
• Save your family from harmful chemicals by drying crockery and cutlery with an organic towel.

Choose quality organic towels in your preferred designs and enjoy a durable drying solution that saves money and protects the planet. 

7. Reusable Coffee Filters

Most American adults drink caffeinated beverages every day and coffee is the most popular choice. Odds are someone in your home probably enjoys a regular cup of coffee. 

Filter coffee machines are a classy and convenient way to prepare your brew, but the cost of replacing paper filters all the time can add up.

Reusable coffee filters are an eco-friendly alternative to save you money over time. Stainless steel filters are also antimicrobial and dishwasher-safe for convenient cleaning.

8. Sustainable Countertops and Materials

When upgrading your kitchen or making some improvements, consider sourcing sustainable materials. Countertops are a big part of your kitchen’s aesthetic and food preparation experience. However, many common countertops are manufactured from synthetic materials via ecologically harmful processes. 

Instead, consider recycled paper or glass countertops or traditional marble countertops for your kitchen. Marble is a stone material naturally available for sustainable sourcing and manufacturing. It is also extremely durable, making it cost-effective in the long term. Recycled glass countertops are typically made from 75 to 85% post-consumer glass and are known for their unique eco-friendly properties, while recycled paper slabs are made from post-consumer office paper and cardboard. All your cabinets, fixtures and even screws can be sustainably sourced helping improve your overall carbon footprint.

9. Efficient Appliances 

The large electric appliances in your kitchen, like your refrigerator and oven, account for much of your home’s energy consumption. Upgrading to more efficient appliances is a powerful way to save money and improve your sustainability.

Check the energy efficiency ratings on your appliances and look for the most efficient alternatives you can afford. Installing appliances designed to generate the same output, while consuming less electricity, will save you on your utility bills and reduce the strain on resources.

You could also explore renewable energy appliances, such as solar refrigerators.

10. Water Filtration

Tap water in many places contains chemicals you’d rather avoid. But, buying bottled water can quickly become expensive. Bottled water also tends to come in plastic bottles, which pollute our oceans. 

A water filter is a handy solution with financial, environmental and health benefits. It improves the quality of your drinking water, while preventing the constant costs and waste of bottled water.

Look for the Water Quality Association’s Gold Seal to ensure a high-quality water filtration system.

Level Up Your Sustainability

In the bigger picture, it really does pay to look after our planet. Armed with these 10 ideas, you’re ready to take your home to the next level of sustainability and cost-effectiveness. Your kitchen is the perfect place to start.