By Shealyn 

Have you ever found yourself throwing away a pile of food scraps when preparing a meal for yourself or your family? Well don’t worry, you’re not alone. Food waste has become a serious problem in our world today and is one of the greatest issues facing the sustainability of our future food systems. While efforts are being made to help minimize food waste globally, our actions play a major role. To help fuel our future and develop a more sustainable way of living, practicing no waste cooking in the kitchen is a start!

Now let’s dive into what it means to practice zero-waste cooking and how to get started.

What is zero-waste cooking?
Zero waste cooking is basically cooking a meal with no waste left behind. This means you are using all parts of the foods, even the not so tasty ones!
Zero Waste Techniques:
Prepare and Plan ahead - Planning and preparing your meals ahead of time can help reduce food waste in your home:
1. Take a glance in your fridge, freezer and pantry before going to the grocery store
to make sure are not buying the same foods
2. Make a list of meals to make that week and prepare a shopping list with the
ingredients needed
3. Try buying food from bulk bins to save money and reduce food packaging waste.

Reuse and Repurpose: - Reusing leftover food scraps can help prevent food waste and also make the most out of your grocery spending. Try out these tips to repurpose your scraps!
1. Stalks and Stems - Stalks and stems are one of the most common discarded parts
of vegetables - broccoli, cauliflower, kale, swiss chard - however, they can be
used in a variety of ways:
- Try this out → Finely chop stems or stalks and saute, roast, or steam
them. You can even add them to soups or grate them to make a coleslaw.
2. Leaves - Many vegetables and fruits - beets, celery, radishes, carrots,
strawberries - come with leafy tops. These leaves are full of nutrients that help
maintain a healthy diet.
- Try this out → use the leafy part of these foods as a salad base, in a
smoothie, or sautee them! You can also try making a sauce or dip by
pureeing them with other tasty ingredients.
3. Peels - Many vegetables and fruits are peeled before eaten when they don’t need
to be: cucumber, carrots, potatoes, apples, and so much more. Think twice about
throwing these peels away and try turning them into a waste free snack:
- Try this out → dip cucumber peels into your favorite dip, bake potato
skins for crispy chips, or add carrot peels to a salad. (just make sure you
wash your produce very well before using their peels)
4. Tops and Ends - Don’t make the mistake of cutting the tops or ends of produce.
You can save them for making vegetable stock or save to compost.
5. Bones - If you buy meat with bones, don’t throw them away. These can be boiled
in water, along with other ingredients (other veggie scraps mentioned above), to
make a yummy broth.
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Recycle
If you have a hard time incorporating food scraps into your cooking, don’t worry. You
can discard all unused products in a compost bin.
- Try composing these leftovers:
a) Rotten or unused fruits and vegetables
b) Coffee grounds
c) Paper tea bags (if any other material, compost the tea leaves and recycle
the rest)
d) Eggshells
- Things that should not be composted
e) Dairy products
f) Oils and fats
g) Meat