Kitchenware Carbon Calculator: Pots, Pans and More
Every pan, kettle or bag of kitchenware that is used again, instead of thrown away and replaced, saves carbon. Tap what you’re giving below to see roughly what your kitchen clear-out could save. Then book a free doorstep kitchenware collection and make it happen.
- Takes seconds
- Rough estimates
- Free doorstep collection
Behind the numbers
How we work it out
The calculator does a simple sum. It works out roughly how much your kitchenware weighs. Then it multiplies that by our estimate of the carbon saved for each kilo used again.
We turn what you give into kilos
A full bag of kitchenware is taken as 7.5 kg. A saucepan counts as 1.2 kg, a colander as 0.4 kg, a kettle as 1.2 kg and a toaster as 1.5 kg. These are typical weights. A bag of plates and casserole dishes can weigh a good deal more, so this keeps the answer on the low side.
We work out what using them again saves
For every kilo of kitchenware used again instead of made new, we count an estimated 1.5 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent. It is the same figure we use for kitchenware across our website.
We put it into everyday terms
An average car gives off about 0.27 kg of CO2e a mile, according to the UK government’s greenhouse gas conversion factors. Distances between places are approximate road miles.
Here is what that sum gives for each item in the calculator:
What does CO2e mean?
Carbon dioxide equivalent. Making pots, pans and small appliances releases several greenhouse gases. CO2e adds them up as the amount of carbon dioxide that would warm the planet by the same amount.
Where does the saving come from?
A new frying pan or baking tray has to be made, packed and shipped before it reaches a shop. When a pan already in your cupboard is used again, someone may not need to buy a new one. That avoided making is the saving. The reasons are set out on how donating kitchenware helps the planet.
Why “estimated”?
Every item is different. A cast-iron casserole dish is nothing like a plastic colander, so no calculator can be exact. Treat the answer as a rough guide. We use typical weights and one cautious figure for the saving per kilo, because we would rather understate what you save than overstate it.
Make it count
How to make your saving bigger
- Give kitchenware that is clean and in working order. Those are the things that get used again.
- Check the whole kitchen: pans at the back of the cupboard, spare baking trays, the second kettle you kept just in case.
- Keep pans with their lids, and wrap plates and dishes so they arrive in one piece.
- Pack it in bags or boxes a driver can lift, and leave them out by 7am on your collection day.
- Take anything broken to your council’s recycling centre, rather than the bin.
Not sure what to include? See what kitchenware can I donate? and can I donate kitchen appliances?, or read why old pans shouldn’t go in the bin. When you’re ready, book your free collection.
Sources
- Saving per kilo: our own estimate of 1.5 kg CO2e for each kilo of kitchenware used again instead of made new, the figure we use across our site.
- Item weights: typical weights for each item, kept on the low side.
- Car emissions: UK government greenhouse gas conversion factors for company reporting (average car).
Ready to donate your kitchenware?
It’s free, you don’t need to be at home, and you choose the charity your donation supports.