When we talk about waste, our minds naturally think about plastics – as they are ubiquitous. Surprisingly, two-thirds of the waste that we throw out of our homes every day is in the form of food scraps, vegetable peels, take-out remains, etc. – organic waste. You heard it right! Depending on the country you live in 30-70% of the waste that leaves your home is organic waste – basically compostable/edible and definitely not disposable.
Over 800 million people slept hungry in 2020. And here we are, throwing out a large percentage of the food we cook/produce every year.
This waste represents a lot of money down the drain, but that’s not the end of it. Discarded food is sent to landfills, where it rots and produces methane gas, which is the second most common greenhouse gas. Basically, wasting food is unethical, expensive, and also contributes to climate change.
In Permaculture Design, we often discuss the idea that “There is no ‘waste’, only resources that are not allocated efficiently.” If systems were designed correctly and resources allocated fairly and efficiently, we would not be wasting as much as we are now.
All of this may seem “too much to digest”, but the aim of this article is not to cause alarm. We all can make a few simple changes in our daily lives to reduce the amount of our organic waste. Read on to learn some efficient tips that might help save the world!
- Buy the ‘ugly’ produce – Vegetables and fruits that look soggy, dull or have patches are often tossed out by supermarkets since no one buys them. Don’t judge by looks and buy these “not too pretty” edibles. They have the same nutrients and taste. If you are picky about eating them directly, make a smoothie, a soup or a dessert to make the best use of it.
- Supplementation using egg shell– If you are someone who eats eggs for breakfast, you are in luck! Wash, dry and grind the shells when you have enough of them. The powdered form can be added to your dog’s/cat’s meal for additional calcium supplementation or to the soil of your plant babies. Egg shells will add small amounts of calcium, potassium and phosphorus, and help replace expensive store-bought fertilizers.
- Tea leaves– Green/black/milk, whatever might be your tea preference you can save yourself the cost of NPK fertilizers for plants because the tea leaves you sieve everyday have the exact same ingredients. We have around 8 cups of tea everyday as a family. Imagine the amount of tea leaves we were dumping into the bin each weak. Now we just dump the contents of the strainer into a bowl and let them dry. Every Sunday, I go out and add these to my plants. In case I have excess leaves I just dump it on the ground and cover it with some soil. Additional humus for the soil and additional space in the dustbin!
- Coffee grounds– Don’t feel left out if you are a coffee person. We love coffee and the grounds it leaves behind. You can use them as fertilizers just like tea leaves, but coffee grounds are much more versatile and have a lot more uses. You can fill a bowl and leave it in the room to repel insects and foul smells. You can mix it with coconut oil/honey and use it as a body scrub, eliminating the need to buy such products ever again. It can also be used it to clean wooden furniture, fireplaces, pots, and pans. Basically, make the best of ‘waste’ before you throw it out.
- Feed someone– If composting is not your cup of tea, look out for a cattle farm nearby. This is quicker than composting and saves the cattle owner tons of money. Save up all your vegetable and fruit peels for 3-5 days in the freezer. If you are able to convince your neighborhood to do this, you can ask the farm owner to send someone twice a week to collect all the food scraps. This is actually nutritious feed for the cattle who are otherwise fed only hay or grains. Later on, their dung is directly used as fertilizer. A seamless, closed-loop process!If you have stray animals in your locality, feed all the table leftovers to them. You will make their day and reduce burden on a landfill.
- Use all water – Instead of watering your plants with fresh water use all the starch water you otherwise throw out. Water used to soak potatoes, rice, pasta etc. is all good for plants!
- Zero waste cooking – Instead of cooking a new meal, designate at least one dinner each week as a “use-it-up” meal. Look around for leftovers and other food that might otherwise get overlooked. Mix things up, get creative, and have a good meal! When cooking, use every piece of whatever food you’re cooking with, whenever possible. Skins, leaves, and stems of lots of vegetables can be eaten but are usually thrown out. Do a little research to learn what you can do with all that food you thought was useless. For example, the stems of broccoli and cauliflower taste yummy if sautéed. Add vegetable/meat scraps to homemade stocks to be as efficient as possible. You can use stale bread, old biscuits, turn croissants into breadcrumbs or olive oil drizzled croutons. The possibilities are endless.
- Practice FIFO (First in, first out) – Whatever you bought last week, eat that before you eat something you bought last night. You can also create an “eat me first” section in your refrigerator for quick-to-expire ingredients and foods.
All these tricks will help you become more mindful, create some closed-loop nutrient systems, and understand the efficiency of multifunctionality in daily life. All these are primary Principles of Permaculture Design, which can be adapted to each and every walk of life. If you want to know more, sign up for the official Permaculture Design Certificate Course (PDC Course) with 72-hours worth of content or take the PDC introductory course to satisfy your curiosity!
Saniya Malhotra is a Research Coordinator with the International Permaculture Education Center.