Kitchen Appliance Design Guide: Going Green with Trash Compactors, Recycling Centers, Purification Systems
Trash Compactors
Trash compactors reduce waste and trips to the outside trash receptacles. Recent trends towards recycling and composting have meant a significant reduction in the amount of loose trash generated by the average household, making compactors less popular than when introduced. If you generate a lot of trash, have a long trip to trash receptacles or limited space for trash collection, a compactor may prove useful. Otherwise you might want to consider creating a recycling center dedicated to keeping your trash and recyclables organized and sanitary.
Recycling Centers
With a national trend toward community and individual recycling of plastics, metal, paper and glass, we’ve seen the introduction of recycling centers for home kitchens. These centers are a combination of functional storage fitting into your cabinetry and an organization center. Their advantages include easy separation and storage of recyclables without filing the kitchen up with plastic bins and bags. The chief disadvantage is that they require a lot of space and the users must clean them regularly to eliminate smells and pests. Recycling centers can be assembled from available cabinetry inserts combined with special cabinet boxes allowing tilt-out or pull-out bins for easy access.
Water Purification Systems
If you live in an area with hard or unpleasant tasting water you might want to consider a water purification/softening system. Access to pure clean water was once considered the norm but increased demand and pollution has meant that more water supplies are tainted coming into the house. Water conditioning systems can be installed that filter and remove minerals resulting less soap and mineral build-up, better taste and safer water. These systems can treat all the water in the house or just that in one area. The household systems are usually installed where the water line enters the house and all water runs through it. Area systems may be mounted under or near a sink and only treat the water going to that source. If you require a system, consider the space and plumbing required before planning sink and cabinetry sizes.
