Curating sustainable, clutter free kitchen cupboards with Hobbycraft

This post contains a paid advertorial from Hobbycraft. All thoughts and opinions are my own, unaltered and unedited as always.

A few years ago I had little knowledge of what zero waste or sustainability was and I thought nothing of my kitchen cupboards resembling a jumble sale.

Things are different now.  I like to keep my home clutter free, and I enjoy putting plastic free alternatives in place where I can. In my dream life I walk down to my local zero waste store with my empty jars in hand and never use a single piece of plastic. It’s not that easy in reality. It should be, but it isn’t. 

Reducing the amount of plastic we use is tough, but there are steps we can take to  making a change where we can. When Hobbycraft asked me to partner up to champion decluttering, sustainability and zero waste in the kitchen, I jumped at the chance. I could finally get our new cottage kitchen cupboards in order.

Here’s how I declutter, store and organise my kitchen cupboard to free up space, get rid of plastic and encourage myself to buy more green.

Declutter it

The more clutter we have the more waste we generate; the more overcrowded our cupboards look too. Decluttering is always the best place to start, because if you’re anything like me, looking at a decluttered cupboard will encourage you to keep it that way. Less clutter = less waste and more ‘ahhhhhh’s when you open your cupboard doors. 

Take everything, and I mean everything, out of those cupboards and lay it all out where you can see it. Go through each item individually and consider the following:

-when did you last use it?

-can see yourself using it again?

-is it in date? 

-is it necessary? 

-do you have too  much of the same thing?

-do you love it?

Create 4 piles based on your answers: keep, recycle / trash, relocate and temporary trial without. 

Jar it

I have a thing for jars. I love them. They remind me of those old fashioned sweet shops I used to go to before church back in high school days. They have a beautiful uniformity to them too which gives me all of those satisfied feelings. Keeping items in glass jars means less plastic and, storage space permitting, you can buy in bulk before transferring into jars as necessary. 

Jars make everything easier to store, they can be repurposed and last as long as you need them to. I like to use them for leftovers, general storage, to freeze food in and to keep food fresher for longer. You can even use them to store food for when you travel. When it comes to reducing waste, plastic free storage jars are essential. They come in all sizes too. I also like milk bottles for tiny items that don’t need sealing.

Label it 

There are endless creative ways to label jars but my personal favourites are a black or white paint marker pen or a vintage style luggage tags like these, these or these and twine – fancy calligraphy pen optional. These are easy to switch up if you want to change your jars around. Don’t forget to keep the expiration updated on the bottom of the jar, unless you’re like my nan and don’t believe in expiration dates, in which case you can employ the sniff method. These paint markers are water based so you can wash them off easily.

Organise it

Be your own store stylist – Think of your kitchen as a shop and you’ll never dread walking into it again. Arrange your items so that they’re as visually appealing as possible. There is no shame in this. Stick to a strict colour palette and use a mixture of size and textures to add interest. Keep the big stuff on the bottom and smaller stuff on the top; a styling tip I picked up from my stint in a department store. 

Rank in order of use – keep the things you use most often within arms reach. The things you use  less often can be stored higher up, towards the back or shelves, cupboards or in drawers. This is why most chefs  dislike drawers and prefer everything they need at their fingertips. 

Categorise – spices together, pastas together, drink ingredients together. The more you can categorise the better. This is an easy way to ensure everything has a home and I’ve found this to be the best way to keep on top of clutter. I’m more likely to dump something anywhere I can when I don’t know where it lives. When I know where something belongs, I’m much more likely to return it to its home. It’s oddly satisfying too. 

Group items together using trays – I used to think trays equalled clutter. I was so wrong. Trays act as a frame to the items you’ve grouped on there. Think of it as the equivalent of framing artwork. They’re the ideal finishing touch and have a natural way of ensuring everything that belong on them remain in their place. I like to use trays to group smaller objects together so they look more grounded. If you want to get really fancy, I’ve seen trays within trays that work really well. 

Maintain it

Decluttering and organising the kitchen is one thing, but maintaining it is something else. These daily rituals are what I use to keep on top of clutter and reduce the waste we generate too. 

– Where possible take jars or containers to your local shop or supermarket and negate the need for packaging

-Give everything a home so it’s easy to put it away

-Use a one touch system for items that pass through kitchens like mail and shopping. Deal with this stuff straight away so it doesn’t build up. 

-Little and often means tidying feels like less of a chore. A ten minute sweep before bed is a realistic way of keeping your kitchen in order. Wiping my kitchen sides down after everything has been put away has become a daily pleasure. 

If like me, you’re trying to reduce your waste, there is a great list of UK zero waste stores. Sadly we still don’t have one within walking distance, but one might be closer than you think. 

Thank you to Hobbycraft for sponsoring this post and for encouraging us all to go green. 

How are your kitchen cupboards looking? Got any more zero waste tips? Share them in the comments so we can all steal them.