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Waste presents a considerable challenge in today’s kitchens, with food waste being the primary culprit. This waste often arises from leftovers, insufficient food storage, and other factors. Addressing this is important for the environment and our wallets. Americans throw an average of 6.2 cups of food weekly, costing households $1500 a year and contributing to six to eight percent of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. We can substantially impact our carbon footprint and wallets by tackling kitchen waste.
Understanding the concept of a zero-waste kitchen
Zero waste is a philosophy aimed at reducing waste by reusing, recycling, and composting as much as possible, transforming your kitchen into a zero-waste space. It is important to approach this lifestyle change realistically. Transforming your household from excessive waste to eco-conscious living doesn’t have to be an overnight shift. By implementing gradual changes tailored to your lifestyle, you can minimize waste, shrink your carbon footprint, and save money. Discover simple yet impactful strategies to achieve these goals, such as optimizing food storage, organizing your kitchen efficiently, and embracing composting.
Assessing your current waste generation
The first step toward achieving a zero-waste kitchen is to assess your current waste generation. This process begins with conducting a waste audit. Track everything you dispose of over the next week, categorizing it into food waste, packaging waste, and non-recyclable items. Once you understand which types of waste you produce most, you can develop strategies to address them. One effective way to start reducing waste is by managing the most common culprit, food waste. Below are my top three tips for managing food waste in your kitchen. By taking small steps, you can cut your waste and move to a zero-waste kitchen.
Steps to Moving to a Zero-Waste Kitchen
#1 Upcycle Your Kitchen
Transform your kitchen into a sustainability hub by upcycling food and minimizing waste. Before you start cooking, assess how much food your family will eat. Plan for approximately 85 percent of the portions you need. Not everyone is going to eat 100 percent of what you prepare. This approach minimizes leftovers. It also promotes mindful eating habits, aiding those conscious of caloric intake.
Another way to cut food waste is to use root-to-stem cooking. This involves using all parts of the plants in your cooking and food prep. For instance, use carrot tops to make pesto. Thinly slice vegetable stems and roast them. Leave potato skins in place. Turn vegetable scraps into flavorful broth. To learn more about root-to-stem cooking, check out Sharon Palmer, RDN, Kitchen Aid, Eating Well, Zero Waste Chef, and Food Waste Feast. Get creative and make the most out of what you have!
Repurposing leftover food is a great way to prevent waste. Don’t just reheat yesterday’s roast chicken. Use it to make a tasty chicken veggie stir fry. You can add many leftover grains to a green salad for a light meal the next day. Turning leftovers into delicious meals is possible with some creativity.
#2 Implement Smart Food Storage and Organization Tactics
By using proper food storage techniques, we can extend the shelf life of our food and prevent it from spoiling too soon. Start by regularly checking all food items’ expiration and use-by dates, which is essential to ensure their quality and safety.
To help you with food and drink storage methods, you can use an app like FoodKeeper. This tool has lots of information on storing different food types. It includes recommended storage times. It also has safe practices for the fridge, freezer, and pantry. It also gives practical advice on managing leftovers. Use a first-in, first-out system. It lets you focus on older items before newer ones. This reduces the chance of food spoilage. Keep your pantry and fridge clean and organized. This allows you to see all items and makes meal planning easier. It also plays a crucial role in running an eco-friendly kitchen.
Effective storage containers are also crucial. Consider investing in transparent, plastic-free, airtight containers. For example, you could try these glass food storage containers from Glasslock or Mepal. You can also repurpose glass jars and label them with these cool wine glass markers.
Once you have a reliable food storage system, you can find ways to make many foods last longer. There are several effective strategies to consider when it comes to extending the shelf life of various foods. For instance, milk and other dairy products can be frozen for up to three months. To keep leafy greens fresh, wash, dry, and roll them in a clean towel. Then, put them in a produce bag in the fridge. This can keep them crisp and tasty for several days. When buying berries, soak them in water with a squeeze of lemon juice. Then, air dry them before storing them in glass jars in the refrigerator. This method can keep them fresh for over a week. These simple techniques can reduce food waste. They will also help your food last longer and save you money.
#3 Embrace Composting
Composting is an essential step towards achieving a zero-waste kitchen space. To organize compost waste in the kitchen, purchase a countertop waste bin designated for compostable materials, like this one. This will make it easier to dispose of food scraps. It will also promote a less smelly kitchen. Once you have your kitchen set up for composting, you have three primary options to choose from.
- Composting Outdoors: An outdoor compost bin is the best way to dispose of food scraps. It is the ideal way to do so sustainably. This simple method involves collecting kitchen scraps, such as fruit and vegetable peels, coffee grounds, and eggshells, and depositing them into the designated bin. Over time, the compost matures into a valuable soil amendment, ready to enrich your garden beds and nourish your plants.
- Curbside Pickup: If you rely on curbside pickup for composting, you can check with your local sanitation department for guidelines on what can be composted and how to prepare it for pickup.
- Composting at Community Centers: Community compost sites offer a great solution for composting when your community doesn’t provide curbside pick-up. Consider freezing your compost to control the odor before depositing it into the community center’s compost bin. Setting up a composting system in your kitchen doesn’t have to be complicated. With these tips and examples, you can start composting today and move closer to a zero-waste kitchen.
Creating a zero-waste kitchen is a process that can be approached gradually. You don’t have to make drastic changes all at once. Instead, you can take small steps, such as planning your meals to reduce food waste, purchasing only the necessary items, and storing food properly. As you progress, you can adopt more zero-waste habits, such as composting, investing in eco-friendly containers, and adopting root-to-stem cooking techniques. Every step counts. Even small changes can significantly impact the environment.
Bibliography
Fight climate change by preventing food waste. www.worldwildlife.org. (n.d.). Retrieved February, 2024: https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/fight-climate-change-by-preventing-food-waste#:~:text=But%20wasted%20food%20isn%27t,more%20potent%20than%20carbon%20dioxide.
MITRE-Gallup survey finds U.S. households waste 6.2 cups of edible food every week on average. www.MITRE.org. November 14, 2023 https://www.mitre.org/news-insights/news-release/mitre-gallup-survey-finds-us-households-waste-62-cups-edible-food-every#:~:text=On%20average%2C%20American%20households%20are,the%20United%20States%20is%20wasted.