How to Reduce Kitchen Waste

Kitchens are an essential part of daily life. They’re where we prepare (at least) 3 meals a day, and as such they can produce a lot of waste. Some waste is inevitable, but there are plenty of ways you can reduce the amount of usable food items you throw out! Not only that, but you can definitely find ways to put less food packaging in the trash. Try some of the tips on this list to start being more planet-friendly in your kitchen today.

1

Plan your meals to only buy what you need.

That way, you’re less likely to throw out things that go bad. Make a list of all the meals you plan to cook for yourself and anyone else in your household for the coming week. Then, make a shopping list that includes only the necessary ingredients for those meals.^{[1]XResearch source}
- It’s okay to add a couple of treats to your shopping list that aren’t part of the meals you plan on cooking. Just make sure anything perishable gets used before it goes bad!
- Don’t grocery shop on an empty stomach or you might end up impulsively buying a bunch of things you don’t need.
Advertisement

2

Take reusable bags for grocery shopping.

Plastic grocery bags and produce bags create a huge amount of waste. Invest in a few sturdy, reusable tote bags and bring them with you whenever you go on a grocery run. Get some washable, mesh produce bags for your fruits and veggies!^{[2]XResearch source}
- If you usually go to the grocery store in your car, keep some extra reusable bags in it, so you always have some ready to go.
- If you forget your bags at home and have to use disposable bags from the store, make sure to save them for other purposes instead of throwing them out. For example, plastic bags are great for wrapping shoes in when you pack them for a trip!

3

Buy items with the least packaging.

Avoid plastic and styrofoam packaging whenever possible. It might be convenient to grab a styrofoam tray of 6 apples wrapped in plastic, but it’s a huge waste! Just take an extra minute or 2 to select produce yourself from the bins. If your local store has bulk bins for grains and dry goods, buy food from those as well to avoid buying plastic packages of things like rice.^{[3]XResearch source}
- Sometimes it’s unavoidable to buy certain foods in packaging. When you have to, try to pick foods that come in glass jars or bottles that you can reuse at home.
- Or, try to choose recyclable containers. Whenever feasible, choose packaging that can be recycled.^{[4]XExpert SourceNatalie Kay Smith
  Sustainable Fashion WriterExpert Interview. 25 May 2021.} For example, choose cardboard packaging over plastic.
- Foods that don’t come in packaging are often cheaper, too!
Advertisement

4

Recycle food packaging.

This keeps unnecessary waste out of the landfill. Glass jars, cans, cardboard containers, and plastic bottles can all go in your home recycling bin. Make sure to rinse everything clean and let it dry before you recycle it.^{[5]XTrustworthy SourceUnited States Environmental Protection AgencyIndependent U.S. government agency responsible for promoting safe environmental practicesGo to source}
- You can reuse glass jars in lots of handy ways around your home. For example, use them to store spices, grains, and other dry goods. Or, refrigerate leftover sauces in them. You can even recycle the lids and use the open-top jar as containers for things like makeup brushes.
- Tin cans make great little planters if you have a green thumb. Tear off the labels and paint them however you like for an added artistic touch!

5

Store fruits and vegetables properly.

That way, they don’t spoil and go to waste. Keep fruits and vegetables in separate drawers in your fridge. Store tomatoes, apples, and bananas by themselves because they give off natural gases that can make nearby produce spoil faster.^{[6]XTrustworthy SourceUnited States Environmental Protection AgencyIndependent U.S. government agency responsible for promoting safe environmental practicesGo to source}
- Store fruit in the fridge to keep it fresh. If you prefer to eat room-temperature fruit, take out what you plan to eat during the day in the morning and set it in a bowl or on the counter.
- It’s usually best to wait to wash produce, especially things like berries, until right before you plan to use it. Storing wet produce can make it go bad quickly.
Advertisement

6

Freeze food you won’t eat.

Your freezer is an ally in the battle against kitchen waste. Freeze fresh produce if you won’t be able to eat it all before it goes bad. Store meat that you don’t plan to eat in the next 1-2 days in the freezer as well. You can even freeze extra loaves of bread or bags of bagels!^{[7]XTrustworthy SourceUnited States Environmental Protection AgencyIndependent U.S. government agency responsible for promoting safe environmental practicesGo to source}
- If you make a big batch of something like soup, chili, or taco meat, portion it out into sealable containers and freeze them for easy, reheatable meals!
- When you buy a bunch of fresh produce, chop some of it up and freeze it so it’s easy to use in recipes. For example, you can freeze a mix of chopped veggies and grab a handful to use whenever you’re making a stir fry.

7

Make breadcrumbs or croutons from old bread.

Toss the dry bread into a blender or a food processor and chop it up into bread crumbs, then freeze them until you’re ready to use them. Or, tear the bread up into rustic chunks, drizzle them with olive oil, sprinkle some herbs on top, and bake them into golden croutons.^{[8]XResearch source}
Advertisement

8

Try creative ways to use up leftovers.

Plan 1 night a week to eat leftovers. Soups, casseroles, stir-fries, sauces, smoothies, and baked goods are all good ways to use up leftovers. Include produce that you only used half of earlier in the week or that’s a bit past its prime in your “leftovers.”^{[9]XTrustworthy SourceUnited States Environmental Protection AgencyIndependent U.S. government agency responsible for promoting safe environmental practicesGo to source}
- For example, if you have half a leftover pepper, half an onion, and half a can of corn, sitting in the fridge, add them to a pot of beans, tomato sauce, and spices to make a nice batch of chili!
- Or, if you have some leftover beef you used in burritos the other night, saute it up with some vegetables and soy sauce to make a quick stir fry.
- If you have a bunch of fruit that’s about to be past its prime, blend it all up together with a little milk or yogurt to make a smoothie. Pretty much any combination of fruits works!

9

Stop peeling produce.

Scrub it with a vegetable brush instead. Vegetable peels account for a lot of waste, and they actually contain tons of vitamins and nutrients! Buy a good-quality vegetable brush and give vegetables like carrots, cucumbers, potatoes, and more a brisk scrub before cooking or eating them.^{[10]XResearch source}
- For citrus fruits, save the peels and freeze them. You’re sure to come across a recipe that calls for orange or lemon zest eventually and you’ll be glad you have some peels on hand!
- Sometimes, you might still want to peel vegetables for aesthetic or textural purposes. If so, save the scraps and use them to make stock or compost them.
Advertisement

10

Cut produce to minimize waste.

A lot of the stuff you probably cut off fruits and vegetables is edible. Instead of just chopping off the tops and bottoms of fruits and vegetables indiscriminately, use a paring knife to cut precisely around the stems. Carve the stem out of things like peppers, tomatoes, and strawberries. Cut as close to the stem as possible for things like carrots, celery, and onions.^{[11]XResearch source}
- The stems of herbs like cilantro have a lot of flavor. Instead of using just the leaves, just remove the roots, and chop up all the leaves and stems together.
- As with peels, you can save these scraps and boil them to make stock for soups and other recipes. Or, compost them and use the compost to grow more vegetables in your garden! You can even re-grow fruits and vegetables from their tops and bottoms.

11

Start composting food scraps.

Build a compost bin in your yard if you have space. Compost food scraps that you aren’t using, such as peels and stems from produce, as well as eggshells. You can also compost other kitchen waste like paper towels and their cardboard tubes, as long as you don't use the paper towels to wipe up chemical cleaning products first.^{[12]XResearch source}
- If you don’t have your own space to compost, look into whether there is a local community garden or composting center that can take your compostable scraps and other waste.
Advertisement

12

Donate to a local food bank.

It’s better to donate what you won’t use than throw it out. If you bought too much produce or have things in your pantry that you just aren’t going to cook with, take it all to a food bank so someone else can make use of it. Keep in mind that usually only unopened or untouched items can be donated.^{[13]XResearch source}
- Examples of things to donate are something that you bought for a party that never got opened, or a product you bought to try but ended up not liking.