9 Super Simple Tools to Avoid Kitchen Waste This Holiday Season
Keep kitchen waste to a minimum to do your part for the environment.
Kitchen waste is a combination of food waste and packaging waste and it has a large environmental impact.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), roughly one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year is lost or wasted. In medium- and high-income countries this happens mostly at the consumer level. Food waste contributes to the squandering of important resources like water, land, and energy and needlessly produces to greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to global warming.
Additionally, a recent drop in the demand on the global market for recyclables means that more recycles are ending up in landfills.
The best way that you can positively make an impact is to reduce waste at the point of origin–your kitchen. From deciding to grow your own food and learning how to preserve that food, there are a variety of changes you can make. Find what suits your lifestyle and make a commitment to contribute less kitchen waste.
Here are some ingenious kitchen tools that can help you on your journey.
9 Must-Have Tools to Reduce Kitchen Waste
We all love LaCroix and other sparkling water options, but our addiction leads to a lot of recyclables that may or may really be ending up on the recycling market. Switch up your habit and make your own sparkling water at home.
2. Herb Keeper
We have all had the experience of buying fresh herbs at the food store only to lose them in the recesses of the crisper drawer. Save your money and contribute less to the food waste problem by using an herb keeper and always have fresh herbs on hand.
3. Berry Bags
Another common food loss are berries that have passed their prime. Berries are delicate treats that can quickly go bad in the fridge. Use a berry bag and prolong their freshness.
4. Bees Wrap
Bees Wrap is reusable and washable beeswax wrap that takes the place of plastic wraps or aluminum foil and is useful for those times when a container just won’t work–like covering half a cantaloupe or watermelon.
5. Cheese Vault
Ever bought some fancy cheese in that shrink wrapped plastic only to wonder what to do with the leftover to keep it from drying out or getting moldy? Enter a cheese vault–a special storage device to keep cheese at its prime for longer. After all, those fancy cheeses can be quite pricey.
Sometimes leftovers call for a storage bag. Instead of using those single use plastic bags, turn to reusable silicone storage bags. They are reusable, BPA-free, dishwasher-safe, and can even be used to sous vide.
7. Instant Pot
Forget canned and tetrapak soups, instead make your own and freeze or can for your own convenience foods. Part pressure cooker and part slow cooker, among other things, an Instant Pot is an ideal tool for batch cooking and storage of soups, stews, and more.
Another complete waste of single-use recyclables is store-bought kombucha. Kombucha is simple and cheaper to make at home. Plus, homemade kombucha is packed full of more of what makes kombucha good for you.
9. Canning Jars
Finally, canning jars are the reusable workhorses of food storage. Not only are they integral to canning and food preservation, but they can be used to make take-to-work salad in a jar or even repurposed all over the house when they have outlived their purpose in the kitchen.
Related on Organic Authority
Take a Bite Out of Food Waste with the ‘Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook’
5 (More) Kitchen Scraps for Regrowing Vegetables and Reducing Food Waste
3 Essential Kitchen Gadgets for Getting Back to Basics
*At Organic Authority, we’re here to help you navigate the overwhelming world of consumer products and discover consciously made products from brands that care. All of our product recs are independently made by our editorial team and some may contain affiliate links that we may earn a commission on. This helps keep the lights on and pay the bills.
