It is hard for all of us to be thinking about the environment during the pandemic, which is why I have not posted very much. But as a recent Washington Post article suggests, we all can maintain some of our green practices. The next several posts will focus on small changes you can make in the kitchen, a place where we all seem to be spending more time.
Today’s tip is about napkins. For years, we used paper napkins and would compost them after they were used, feeling good that we were sending the paper back to the earth. However, an even better practice is using cloth napkins.
Having several sets of cloth napkins allows you to use one, wash one, and/or save “nice” ones for company. It’s easy to throw them in with the towels, avoiding the environmentally unfriendly practice of doing an extra load of wash.
Cloth napkins are generally not too expensive, come in a variety of textures and colors, and do last a while. In the end, we probably have even saved a little money as we rarely buy paper napkins anymore. We will occasionally use paper when we have lots of guests or if we know dinner might be particularly messy.
Once the napkins are too stained or frayed, we put them with our textile recycling (a topic for a future post).
So consider purchasing some cloth napkins. It’s a nice, small step to reducing waste, and since most of us are not eating out much these days, it might even give you more of a restaurant feel when you are dining at home.