Although most countries find it incredibly difficult to measure and quantify food loss waste (FLW), it is widely accepted that especially in developed countries, we waste an unfathomable amount of perfectly good food.
The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that globally, roughly one third of the food produced for consumption is wasted. Most of this waste comes from produce like fruits and vegetables, which often are thrown out because they aren’t used or are deformed.
One way to reduce your produce waste is to compost vegetable scraps or old produce… but there are so many other ways to use up your scraps that are creative and cost efficient!
If you want to learn ways to use your food scraps (other than composting), keep reading!
What to Do with Vegetable Scraps
Homemade Veggie Broth
One of the easiest yet most widely used thing you can do with vegetable scraps is to make vegetable broth!
Vegetable broth is a key ingredient in making any kind of soup, so having it on hand is SO useful!
Allz ya need to make it at home is the scraps: like carrot peels, onion skins, celery leaves, etc.
From there you’re going to want to heat up some oil, add in veggies and scraps, then cover and let simmer for a good while. Check out this in-depth tutorial!
Potato (Skin) Chips
Peeling off potato skin is tedious but necessary for many recipes. Instead of throwing the skin away or composting it, you can actually turn these scraps into a tasty snack!
Make sure you only do this with organic potatoes, as potatoes are one of the dirty dozen fruits and vegetables you should definitely try to buy organic as often as possible.
Check out this recipe for potato skin chips that takes only 30 minutes!
Recommended-> Environmental Benefits of Veganism
What to Do with Fruit Scraps
Homemade Jam
Did you know you can make homemade apple jam just by using the peels and cores of apples? Follow this recipe for a delicious treat perfect for households that eat a ton of apples.
All Natural Air Freshener
Swap those chemical-laden air fresheners for a cheaper, homemade, natural one! Follow one of these many recipes for inspiration.
Orange Peel Candles
Use the skin of your oranges in a purposeful and decorative way by making orange peel candles!
This tutorial shows you how easy these candles are to make!
Homemade Household Cleaner
Cleaning products like sprays, solutions, and wipes are increasingly being marketed as “natural”, “plant-based”, or “toxin-free”, to cater to the growing awareness of what is in the products we use everyday in our house.
Truthfully, nothing you buy at the store is going to be as pure as a homemade household cleaner- and you can make a great one just using your citrus peel scraps!
Add citrus peel scraps to vinegar and follow these steps for preserving it for a natural and cheap fix!
Other Scraps
After brewing coffee, use the used coffee grounds to make a body or facial scrub!
The grounds are super great at exfoliating your skin without being TOO harsh. Check out this super easy recipe for a used coffee ground exfoliant!
I hope you found some of these recipes/tips to be interesting, and that you try some of them out as ways to use up your food scraps!
