On the occasion of Environment Day, you might find yourself looking for ways to make your lifestyle more sustainable. While much is said about reducing consumption, and hence,
the problem of food waste goes
ignored.
A significant amount of the food we buy ends up going to waste. Food waste not only depletes many of our natural resources but also increases greenhouse gas emissions and contributes to climate change.
There are many innovative ways to reduce the amount of food waste — from planning your meals in advance to only buying what you need.
Using food scraps instead of throwing them out is another simple way to reduce waste, and minimise your environmental impact while saving money. Here are some creative ideas.
Make a soup
Ditch the bouillon cubes and make your own broth using carrot peels, celery leaves, onion skins, mushroom stems, green onion ends or any other vegetable scraps. Freeze them until you gather enough. Boil these scraps in water with any herb or flavouring agent of your choice. Simmer meat scraps, and bones to make stock. Strain, and enjoy!
Feed your garden
Instead of throwing out eggshells, grind them in a blender or food processor and add to potting soil or sprinkle directly onto the garden.
It offers a healthy dose of calcium for your garden.
Bake goodies
Save stale bread, butt ends and crusts in an airtight freezer container until you have enough for a bread pudding, stuffing, or to make some crumbs or croutons. A little time on a grill or in the toaster oven should be enough to save them. Overripe bananas can become banana bread.
Infuse your water
Don’t discard those soft lemons, limes or oranges. Juice the fruit and freeze to use for a recipe later or add to your water for a refreshing flavour.
Pickle it
Instead of throwing out the brine when you are done with a jar of pickle, throw in any other vegetable of your choice and restart the pickling process. From green beans to onions, cucumbers, and watermelon rinds, the world is your pickling oyster.
Clean the drain
When that box of baking soda starts stinking up your fridge, don’t toss it in the trash. Instead, pour it down the drain followed by a kettle of hot water. It’ll help keep the pipes clean.
Compost
The most obvious and easiest of all suggestions — you can compost all fruit and vegetable scraps, even if they are rotten. It helps fertilise your soil for gardening. It is free and all-natural.