BBC Good Food - 04.2020

skills

APRIL 2020 bbcgoodfood.com 123

XReill washing-up liquid at reill

shops, or buy bulk containers

for reilling at home (one large

container equals less plastic than

lots of smaller ones). Or, try using

a dishwashing bar instead.

XUse sustainably produced

wooden brushes with sisal

or coconutibres, or other

compostable brushes, scrubbers

and scourers. Once they’ve done

their duty, compost them.

XReusable cloths and scrubbers,

like Scrubbies Unsponges (£6 for

two,plasticfreedom.co.uk) are

washable, so they’re a better option

than kitchen paper. Or, use cloths

made from biodegradable materials,

like cellulose.

Any food (or inedible parts of

food) that is thrown away.

Avoidable food waste is food

that could have been eaten,

but is either no longer wanted

or has gone past its sell-by

date. Unavoidable food waste

is food that could never be

eaten, such as eggshells

or teabags.

DEFINITION

Figures from Energy

Saving Trust show that cooking is

responsible for 13.8 per cent of the

electricity used in homes. Finding

more eicient ways of cooking

will mean less electricity is used

and, in turn, less CO2 produced.

There are pros and cons of gas

and electric ovens – either way,

choose one with an energy rating

of at least A+. A microwave may

often be your best bet, as it only

heats up your food and not the

air around it in the oven. Slow,

pressure and multi-use cookers

are also eicient energy users.

Find reviews of our favourites at

bbcgoodfood.com/feature/reviews.

Of all the ways to make

coee, pod machines win

on the convenience front.

But, these pods also

have an environmental

impact: 20 billion are

used worldwide, and

many end up in landill where they

can take 500 years to break down.

Some can be recycled and the

grounds used for compost, but

check with your local authorityirst,

as the pods are small and not easy

to process. You’ll also need to

separate the pod from the coee

yourself. Consider all your options

before choosing a pod machine.

Nespresso pods can be dropped

oat collection points or collected

when the next batch is

delivered. Compostable

coee pods are also

available, but check

whether they can be

composted at home,

or if they’ll need to go

into a council collection.

Lavazza is rolling out

compostable eco caps,

for example, but these

are not suitable for

home composting.

Reillable capsules can beiddly

to use, but could be an alternative.

Or, you may choose to use another

coee-making method entirely.

COFFEE PODS

THINK

ABOUT HOW

YOU COOK

7

5

&

NEXT MONTH

A guide to

plastic and what

to do with it

For more

advice and

inspiration, visit

theGood Food

sustainability hub

atbbcgoodfood.

com/feature/

sustainability.