Cloth napkins are an easy alternative to using paper napkins and can be washed and reused many many times. Buy enough for a few meals so you can just add them to any washing load you are doing.Going paperless at meal-time has many green and hip pocket benefits:• You reduce the amount of waste you send to landfill. • You save the valuable resources used to make paper napkins in the first place. • You save money that would have been spent on paper napkins.You can also wipe down the kitchen benches and table with your napkins after dinner before throwing them in the wash.And there is of course the added benefit of being awfully cool as you display endless creativity with your napkin choice. Pic: Toa Heftiba | Unsplash
Paper napkins are not recyclable due to contamination of organic matter. However, paper napkins are biodegradable and can be placed in your compost bin. Paper can only be recycled a certain number of times. Every time paper is recycled the fibres gets shorter and shorter which makes it harder to recycle.
Repurpose your own scrap materials such as old dresses, tablecloths and curtains to make cloth napkins. Second hand stores and op shops will also have a range of fabrics you can make cloth napkins from. Keep a basket full of reusable cloth napkins ready to use in your kitchen.