5 Quick Waste-Less Kitchen Tips

We think zero-waste or waste-free kitchen is a bit daunting and the key is to start small, realistic changes we can all make no matter how big or small that collectively make a big difference.

The problem with kitchen waste...

Australians send four million tonnes of food to landfill every year and this waste is a huge contributor to greenhouse emissions - Ekk!

Not only is reducing your kitchen waste great for the planet, it also makes good economic sense. The average Australian household throws away an estimated $1000 worth of food ever year - yikes!

We are all part of the solution...

1. Buy only what you need
Don't have your arm twisted by great bulk buy deals, unless you are confident you will use it all. There are heaps of ways to use your excess produce like to juice it, pickle it, make it into snacks and meals you can freeze for later etc which leads us to our next point...

2. Store leftovers in the freezer
That way they won’t go to waste before you get around to eating them. 

3. Don't waste time peeling
Many peels are edible and in fact contain much of the nutritional content of vegetables. The skins of pumpkin, beetroot, potatoes and carrots are all edible.

4. Eat the leaves & stems of your veggies
The leaves of veggies like beetroot, radish and cauliflower and the stems of kale and broccoli are edible. Instead of throwing these out, use the leaves as you would silverbeet or spinach and add the stems to casseroles or soups – note that they will need a little longer to become tender.

5. Compost
In a composting system, food waste is converted into nutritious soil for the garden instead of greenhouse gases. If you don’t have a garden or the space for a compost bin get your hands on a bench top composting system or if your council has a local community garden they usually welcome kitchen food waste for their composting systems. We love our local community garden at Curl Curl!