RETHINKING SINGLE-USE ITEMS
We are a society of convenience. We’re often on the go, which makes single-use items very tempting. Putting sandwiches into plastic bags, packing water bottles for a soccer match, running into the grocery store and coming out with eight more plastic bags to add to your pile. I get it. Using single-use plastic items like these may seem easier, but there’s a better way.
Tip: Although sometimes it makes sense to use a plastic sandwich bag, set some goals to use fewer single-use items. You may not be able to completely eliminate them, but it’s a start. Whether you reduce them by 20 percent or 70 percent, all reducing has a positive impact. Here are some ideas:
Instead of regularly using plastic forks and paper plates, consider melamine plates that you can wash, and purchase extra flatware from a secondhand store or reusable cutlery that’s made from recyclable materials. Keep a set in your bag and forgo the plastic cutlery when you do takeout lunch with friends. While you’re at it, consider replacing paper napkins with a set of cloth napkins that can be reused.
Forgo the plastic straw and just sip your beverage from the glass. Or try stainless or silicone straws. Keep a set in your bag or car to use on the go.
Rethink your coffee habits. Coffee on the go comes with a lot of single-use waste — the cup, the lid, the stirrer, the napkin, the cuff. Bring your own reusable cup when you can, or brew your cup at home.Note: Although brewing single-use coffee pods at home may be less wasteful than visiting a coffee house for coffee every day, they add waste, too. If your brand has a recycling program, use it. Or simply don’t use the pods, or use them less often.
Buy soda or other beverages in one large 2-liter or gallon and pour into reusable cups. Use refillable water bottles to take ice cold water with you. If you must buy some of those single-use plastic items, do so mindfully (for instance, you may want water bottles to prepare for a natural disaster when water supplies could be limited or unsafe). Otherwise, use your reusables.
Keep reusable tote bags with you and make a sincere effort to get into the habit of using them when you go grocery shopping. Include an insulated bag so you can put food into if you’re delayed. Look for reusable drawstring vegetable/produce bags (they also help keep produce fresh longer) instead of the plastic bags in the grocery store’s produce section.
When storing: What’s the best way to preserve my food?
Do you sometimes ponder how in the world your kitchen garbage gets so full so quickly? When you’re on a zero waste journey, you’ll want to rethink what you send into that kitchen can. Proper food storage is a key aspect of a zero waste kitchen. Find out more about how to store fresh produce, what you can freeze, and how to keep a pantry organized for zero waste in Chapters 4 and 5.
Because eating a balanced diet is important to health, I don’t want to discourage you from keeping fresh produce or dairy products on hand. You just need a plan! And of course, mixing in some canned and frozen fruits and veggies works too.
Think of your refrigerator and freezer as important tools in zero waste cooking. Some appliances today are pretty savvy, so I encourage you to read the appliance manual or instructions (an unknown idea to my husband, but really, there are good tips in there!). Some foods that can be left on the counter or shelf will last longer in the refrigerator. Other foods that are refrigerated can be frozen for up to 6 months or, technically, indefinitely (but I don’t recommend it since quality begins to subside after 3 months, and significantly after a year). So even when your best-laid meal plan gets a kink in it, know that you can always rely on your freezer to stash food until you have the time to prepare it.
When cooking: How can I better use scraps and leftovers?
Once you’re home, you need to know when and how you’ll cook and store the food you purchased. You’ll want to properly store the food you bought right away. (More on how to rethink your food storage habits in the next section.) As you plan for zero waste cooking, think about what you might cook early in the week that creates leftovers to use throughout the rest of the week. Ideally, many cooked leftovers can serve as a time-saving step for a new meal another day. For instance the leftover cooked pork from the Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Sliced Grapes can create the quick Pork Pita Pockets with Cucumber Cream later in the week for a quick lunch. Also, plan to use the more perishable fresh fruits and vegetables from your shopping haul first.
You’ll find a lot of ideas in this book for using up leftovers and even food scraps. For example, the next time you bring home a rotisserie chicken for dinner, don’t throw out the carcass. Instead, bag it up, save it in the fridge, and add any veggie scraps to it over the next few days. Then you can throw it all into a large pot of water and boil it down for stock to be used to flavor new dishes or add to soups and sauces. (Check out the Homemade Stock recipe in Chapter 10.)
Finding new recipes that make the most of your leftovers (see Part 3) is also going to help you reduce waste. You may have noticed that food seems to have gotten, well, bigger, over the years. I’m talking about those muffins as big as your head and half-pound dinner portions of pasta. It’s sometimes just too much. When dining out, simply reducing the portions you eat can ultimately help reduce food waste (and bonus — help you maintain your health). Instead of cleaning your plate or sending leftover food back to the kitchen, you may come up with more creative ways to use that doggy bag, beyond just reheating it for lunch the next day.
You can even create cocktail garnishes out of some of your food waste or scraps. Parts from a zested lemon can become Sugared Citrus Peels, and the liquid from a can of chickpeas (aquafaba) can be whipped for a whiskey sour. Celebrating your zero waste goals at the end of the day with a refreshing mocktail or cocktail sounds like a good deal to me!
Repeat after Me: Practice, not Perfection
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