My Dad's Zero Waste Kitchen Makeover

Max and I are in full renovation mode at our new home. Both bathrooms and the kitchen have been demoed, the retro parquet flooring has been removed, walls are being taken down, and needless to say, there's construction everywhere you look. As soon as the reno hit high gear, we fled to live with my dad near Tahoe.

We are so grateful that my father is letting us live in his home while we complete the renovation, and yet leaving our zero waste home behind has been an adjustment.

My dad is far from wasteful—he hates throwing things away and is much more likely to repair something than toss it in the garbage and buy something new. He also re-purposes glass jars, only drinks tap water and keeps a minimal fridge, buying only what he needs for the day. I recently helped him do a closet cleanse and found that the majority of his clothes are vintage, aka he’s had them since the 80s/90s!

I knew with a easy few swaps, my dad would be an easy candidate for a (more) zero waste lifestyle and the kitchen seemed like the best place to start the makeover since Max and I both love to cook.

Here are the easy swaps I made that transitioned my dad's kitchen from wasteful to waste-less:

1. Cleaning Tools. One of the first things that had to go were some plastic sponges. Not only were the sponges non-recyclable and non-compostable, they stank and made my hands smell when I used them. Instead of replacing them with new sponges, I swapped them for a wood dish brush, a wood bottle brush and a copper pot scrubber. These three tools are all recyclable or compostable and they don’t smell! They also last much longer than a plastic sponge.

2. Dish Soap. My dad already buys his liquid dish soap in bulk and refills an old plastic dish soap bottle. I upgraded him to a stainless steel dish soap bottle and recycled the old plastic dish soap bottle.