Don’t Trash It, Use It: Ways to Reuse Food Scraps
Gabrielle Dolenga
| 2 min read
A recent study by the Natural Resource Defense Council revealed that most Americans throw away 33 pounds of food each month. This means that families are losing up to 40 percent of their food as it travels from farm to table.
Food waste also takes up a significant amount of space in landfills and contributes to higher greenhouse gas emissions. The methane produced by food in landfills is nearly 23 times as potent as carbon dioxide in trapping heat within our atmosphere.
While it may not be possible for your family to eliminate food waste entirely, there are simple hacks your family can use to reduce its food waste footprint.
- Put breadcrumbs in sugar to soften and eliminate clumps
- Throw citrus peels or wedges down the garbage disposal to deodorize and sanitize
- Clean aluminum cookware and decor using apple peels
- Dry nearly-expired fresh herbs and add them to the spice cabinet
- Create a crafting stamp or stencil with potato halves
- Rub coffee grounds on your hands or utensils to deodorize
- Add hot oatmeal to an almost-empty peanut butter jar for a delicious breakfast
- Freeze leftover olive oil in an ice cube tray for an easy addition to future recipes
What are your favorite ways to reuse food scraps? Share them with us in the comments.
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Photo Credit: Nic McPhee
