I often think about ways I can reduce food waste. Compostable yard trimmings and food scraps make up the single largest component of the municipal waste heading into our landfills – 28.2%. It is estimated that 95% of the food waste which gets created in kitchens ends up in our landfills. And don’t think that this waste will compost in landfills – it will not. Because they are mixed with non-compostable items, these scraps sit in an anaerobic environment for a very long time. When they eventually decompose they actually create methane!
And while many communities have ’green’ recycling programs, not all of that material ever sees a composting facility – lots of times it is sent to the landfill along with the trash. This is discouraging considering that all of this material can and should be composted or recycled!
So how can we reduce food waste in our own kitchens?
It is important to be kind to our earth and reduce as much trash as possible. How do you use all of those scraps you trim from food and vegetables rather than just throwing them away? Fortunately, this is one of the easiest areas to tackle to reduce your garbage footprint, easier even than plastic recycling.
1. Eat your food scraps
You can use parts of the vegetable you might not think are edible, or maybe you just havn’t tried. If more people made a concerted effort to use celery greens in their salads or sautéed beet tops as a side dish, we could take a ‘bite’ out of food waste. Read my blog post on ideas and recipes to eat more parts of some common vegetables.
2. Use your kitchen scraps as fertilizer
Use your food scraps as fertilizer. Certain minerals found in high concentrations in food scraps such as banana peels, coffee grounds, and eggshells are really good matches for nutrients required by your plants as they grow. It’s about matching the foods that are either high or low on the pH scale to the nutritional requirements of your plants. Read my blog post on which food scraps make good fertilizer for which plants.
3. Regrow your veggie scraps
Another cool way to reduce food waste is to… regrow your vegetable scraps into entirely new plants. Did you know there are a whole bunch of vegetables which are easy to grow back from just the scrap you’d normally throw away? I love this one, because not only are you being kind to the earth, but you are saving money on buying new veggies!! Read my blog post 7 Kitchen scraps you can regrow into plants
4. Feed your pets or animals
Feed your pets. Homemade dog biscuit batter is ideal for mixing in food scraps into the recipe. This is great because not only can you use the vegetable food scraps, but also the leftover meat and potato scraps – which you can’t put into compost – can all go right into the mash and are excellent supplements to your pet’s nutrition.
If you have chickens, this is another great way to boost their health and provide highly digestible nutrition. And it makes a great and healthy treat for them, too. This is an easy win, because although there are some awesome recipes for chicken treats, the chickens are just as happy if you give them the food scraps raw.
Many vegetable scraps are perfectly fine for rabbits, too. They particularly enjoy leafy greens and brassicas, and are not particular about a little brown or wilt. So when you remove the outer layer from your head of lettuce, a rabbit can have a great treat too.
These are excellent sources of nutrition for your pet and great for the planet.
5. Compost
If you can’t use, reuse, or regrow, try composting! Composting is an easy way to reduce the amount of garbage you create without expending too much effort. Not only will you save money on your garbage bills by reducing the amount of trash and yard waste, but you really dont have to do much to the pile or buy anything to get started. Read my post on What You Can and Can’t Compost.
You don’t need a lot of space to start composting, either. You just set aside a small 3×3 area in your back yard out of the way. Then put any unused, rotted vegetables or other plant products on the pile. Many people will have a small can on the kitchen counter and then only take the compost outside to the pile once a day or once every other day to reduce trips. If you live in an urban environment, try an electric ‘composter’, which reduces the volume prior to actual disposal.
Coffee grounds and eggshells as well as yard trimmings are all fair game for the compost pile. If you are a gardener, this pile will generate some of the best soil you have ever had. Sure, you can turn the pile for faster composting, but it’s not required. Read my blog post all about Speeding up composting.
So there are a few ideas for steps you can take right away to reduce food waste in your own kitchen. Did I miss anything? I’d love to see any additional thoughts. What do you do in your household?
