How to reduce kitchen waste: Read our tips for reducing kitchen waste.
Reducing kitchen waste has the benefit of helping you to save money, and helping to protect the environment. Excess waste is often produced in the kitchen as we use many products to cook, clean, and maintain our kitchen. Food waste is also quite common, with the USDA estimating that 30-40% of food goes to waste.
Read our tips below for insight on how to reduce kitchen waste.
1. Use Cloth Towels Instead of Paper
Kitchens require regular cleaning to maintain, and spills are common. Many people, especially those with children, may find themselves using an excess amount of paper towels to keep their kitchen clean. In order to reduce kitchen waste, consider using cloth towels. Cloth towels are easy to use and can be washed for repeated use.
2. Use Reusable Cups and Water Bottles
Washing dishes can be time consuming to those who lead busy lives, and some may opt to use plastic cups and disposable water bottles in order to lessen the amount of dishes that need to be washed. However, using plastic cups and disposable water bottles has a detrimental impact on the environment, and can end up costing you a lot of money in the long run.
It is best to invest in a few reusable glass or plastic cups and a reusable water bottle. These items are easy to wash and can greatly reduce the amount of kitchen waste that you produce.
3. Track the Shelf Life of Your Produce
Many people buy produce with the intention of making many healthy meals, but find that the produce expires before they have a chance to eat it. This discourages people from eating produce as much as they should, and increases the amount of kitchen waste produced.
In order to combat this issue, the Lil’ Broc app helps you monitor the shelf life of your produce and ensure that all produce is used before it expires.
4. Pack Reusable Utensils When On the Go
If you frequently pack to-go lunches for yourself or your children, you may enjoy the convenience of plastic utensils. Just like plastic water bottles and cups, plastic utensils are harmful to the environment and produce large amounts of kitchen waste.
Consider packing reusable utensils, and simply bringing them home to wash later. This will help to reduce the amount of kitchen waste that you produce.
5. Purchase Reusable Straws
Many enjoy the convenience of using a straw to enjoy beverages while on the go. However, straws are known for their negative impact on the environment. Fortunately, reusable straws can be purchased that are easy to wash and maintain. This ensures that you can continue to enjoy the convenience of a straw while reducing the amount of kitchen waste that you produce.
6. Vacuum Seal Food
It is quite common for food to expire in the refrigerator and end up going to waste. One way to combat this is to vacuum seal food to preserve it for longer. While the food will still expire eventually, vacuum sealing may buy you a few extra days. Consider vacuum sealing your leftovers in order to preserve them for a little longer.
7. Remix Leftovers
Eating leftovers is typically the responsible decision to make in order to save money and reduce kitchen waste, but leftovers often go forgotten and uneaten. Try spicing up your leftovers by remixing them into a new dish.
For example, if you have leftover grilled chicken and rice, try adding the chicken to a pasta dish. The rice can be made into a stir fry the next day.
8. Freeze Food for Later
Many people underestimate the power of freezing their food for later use. While leftovers or already cooked food cannot always be frozen, there are a variety of foods that can be frozen and used at a later date.
Fresh fruits and vegetables can be frozen whenever they are ripe and ready to eat, as long as they are not overripe. Freezing fruits and vegetables will preserve them to be eaten at a later date, up to 6 months later.
Meat can also be frozen for later use, as long as the meat is still fresh and hasn’t expired. Ground beef can be frozen for up to 3 months, and steaks can be frozen for 6 months or longer. Cooked meat can be frozen and stored for up to 6 months.
9. Use Reusable Grocery Bags
Reusable grocery bags can greatly decrease your amount of kitchen waste. Many people bring home dozens of plastic grocery bags after grocery shopping, and the amount of bags used can add up quickly.
Some people repurpose grocery bags to use as small trash bags or to clean up pet waste, but most of these bags will not get reused. Eventually, all of them will end up in the landfill.
Reusable grocery bags are cheap and make it easy to carry many groceries at once. You may enjoy the convenience of reusable grocery bags and knowing that you’re reducing the amount of kitchen waste produced.
10. Plan Your Meals
Planning your meals can go a long way when it comes to reducing kitchen waste. Many people buy food that ends up going to waste thinking that they’re going to eat it at some point. One way to combat this is to plan out all of your meals ahead of time, and buy the food necessary for these meals.
As long as you stick to your plan and make each meal, this should reduce the amount of waste you’re producing because each product that you buy is intentional for a specific meal.
11. Reuse Containers
Instead of using plastic containers to store your food, you can reuse glass containers such as sauce jars. After washing these jars, they can be repurposed and used to store other foods. Or, you can invest in glass containers specifically made for storing food, and use these containers over and over.
Plastic containers result in a lot of kitchen waste, and end up costing you money over time. By repurposing glass containers or investing in glass containers, you can reduce your ecological footprint and save money.
12. Grow Your Own Food
Growing your own food is an excellent way to reduce kitchen waste. Not only does growing your own food reduce your food costs, but it benefits the environment by allowing you to eat sustainability.
Instead of purchasing food that has been sprayed with chemicals, harvested, and packaged in plastic, you can simply grow your own food. Growing your own food can also be a fun way to connect with nature and remind yourself why it is important to protect the environment.
13. Juice Your Leftover Fruits and Vegetables
If you find yourself with leftover fruit or vegetable scraps, juicing can be a fun way to reduce kitchen waste and ensure that every bit of food is used. Juicing is a fun and healthy way to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet and ensure that your produce isn’t going to waste.
If you find that your fruits and vegetables are becoming ripe and you’re looking for a convenient way to eat them all, juicing is certainly an effective way to do so.
14. Buy in Bulk
Buying in bulk is an excellent way to reduce kitchen waste and save money. By buying in bulk, you avoid purchasing the excess and wasteful packaging that most food comes in. You will also find that prices are better when buying in bulk.
While you may need to invest in some reusable containers for bulk foods to start, you will find that the investment quickly pays itself off.
15. Use Reusable Storage Bags
Similar to reusable containers and cups, you can also invest in reusable food storage bags that function just like a resealable snack bag. Many people, especially those who pack lunches for themselves or children, may find themselves using a lot of resealable snack bags.
Fortunately, resealable snack bags are easy to clean and are a long-lasting investment, so you can use the same snack bags instead of constantly buying new boxes of plastic ones.
How to Reduce Kitchen Waste: Final Thoughts
Making efforts to reduce kitchen waste is one of the best things you can do for your wallet and for the environment. By reducing kitchen waste, you can take pride in knowing that you’re doing your best to have a positive impact on the environment and saving money in the process. By following the tips provided in this article, you will find that the amount of kitchen waste that you produce will decrease significantly.