I was getting ready to prep a couple of day’s worth of meals when it dawned on me how easy it is to be wasteful in the kitchen and create tons of trash.

For example, I had just finished de-fatting the chicken breasts and was planning on marinating them in a zipper-top plastic bag, in prepation for some grilling tomorrow night. As I pulled open the drawer that holds all of the wraps, bags and foils we own, it struck me how much of this stuff I own and how much of it I throw in the trash after one use. I mean, when you marinate raw chicken in a plastic bag, you can exactly reuse the bag, can you. So what do you do? Throw out the bag when you’re done.

Same thing is true with the paper towels you use to wipe down the kitchen counter. We all know that raw chicken contains salmonella and cleaning a surface after dealing with raw chicken is critical. But how many paper towels did I use to clean up this mess? Gee, that roll of paper towels is looking noticeable smaller than it was just 15 minutes ago.

Suddenly, my radar was primed to pick up everything around my 10 X 12 kitchen that creates waste. I’ve got paper napkins, paper plates, plastic flatware, paper towels, baggies galore and more. Now, it would be wasteful and a stupid financial move to dump all of this stuff, just because I was to reduce my reliance on these disposable items. But at the same time, they don’t have to be my go-to product when cooking and cleaning up.

So that chicken I’ve got to marinate? I took out a ceramic dish with a top that my mother-in-law had handed down to me, and that’s where I marinated the meat. After I’m ready to cook it, I can put the dish in the dishwasher.

As far as wiping down the counters, I can use a clean sponge–then pop that in the dishwasher, too, to sanitize it. Or I can invest in some microfiber dish cloths that I can use and wash and use and wash again.

I’m wondering what else I’ve got hanging around the kitchen that ends up as waste and that maybe I want not to be using anymore. I’ll keep you posted.