Category: Waste reduction

How to live a zero waste lifestyle outside of a major city

I love reading zero waste blogs, and articles about zero waste advocates such as Bea Johnson. However, with enjoyment and admiration comes frustration at the zero waste lifestyle they all discuss being so difficult to achieve in smaller towns and cities which don’t often offer the option of purchasing an array of loose produce.

Certainly the town I live in doesn’t have anywhere dedicated to selling loose produce such as nuts, seeds, pulses, spices and household cleaning liquids. The local market sells loose fruit and vegetables, but that is where the line is drawn. Even if it did sell the loose items I required, the journey to and from the market wouldn’t be very earth-friendly as it is far away from my home and I couldn’t cycle with all my goods.

So, what do you do if your circumstances aren’t ideal for living a zero waste lifestyle? You try your best with the options you have available to you, because some waste reduction is better than no waste reduction. Try the below suggestions to cut your waste.

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Aldi fights food waste with improved packaging

Aldi has unveiled new fresh produce packaging, which features tips on maximising shelf life and cutting food waste at home.

This news comes following the January 2017 announcement that UK households wasted 7.3 million tonnes of food in 2015. This figure was higher than previous years, meaning food waste at home is on the rise despite Government pledges to cut it. WRAP encouraged retailers to make changes following January’s annoucement, and this packaging change is Aldi’s response.

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Pubs told to shrink plate sizes in battle against food waste

In a country that is currently throwing away £13bn of food at home each year, many suggestions are being made on how to tackle the issue of wasted food. This figure doesn’t even consider the food waste created outside of the home, which is an equally large problem faced by the UK, and one being investigated currently.

Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has been advising MPs, who are investigating how to cut food waste figures in the UK, and have suggested that pubs serving carveries should switch to smaller plate sizes.

Meals at pub carveries are sold at one set price for adults and are often self-serve, which leads people to fit as much food on their plate as possible, to get the best ‘value for money’ – or just because their eyes are bigger than their stomach, as suggested by Labour MP Angela Smith. More often than not, this results in leftovers of good food on plates, which then end up in the bin.

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How one woman cut Denmark’s food waste by 25%

In Denmark, one woman has been credited by the Government for single-handedly helping the country to cut its national food waste by 25 per cent in just five years.

Selina Juul, who moved to Denmark from Russia when she was 13-years-old, has always had an interest in the environment, sustainability and global responsibility. Viewing food waste as disrespectful, Juul set up a Facebook page in 2008 called ‘Stop Wasting Food’ (Stop Spild Af Mad, in Danish), and just one week later she was a national figure.

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Millennials more likely to waste food, study finds

7m tonnes of household food waste is thrown out per year in the UK, which is worth an estimated £7.5bn. A study by a national supermarket has found that younger people are more likely to be creating the majority of this waste than older generations.

The Sainsbury’s study concluded that there is a large generational gap regarding food waste. Over half of under 35s have a ‘live to eat’ mindset, placing more importance on the pleasure of food than its necessity, and conversely, the majority of those 35 and over fall into the ‘eat to live’ category. Only a third of over 55s ‘live to eat’.

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Food waste education is counteracted by composting education

Ohio State University has released the results of a study of food waste, which observed the actions of restaurant diners. The results show that education is a successful tool in beating the production of food waste, however if people are informed their waste will be composted, the education benefits disappear and people are happy to waste as much food as those who are completely uneducated in the environmental impact of their waste.

Lead researcher Danyi Qi, a graduate student in agricultural economics at The Ohio State University, said of the matter:

“This presents a tricky situation for policymakers figuring out how to manage food waste, because the top tactics are prevention (through education) and diversion (through composting). When you do both, they cancel each other out — they work at cross purposes.”

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Four in five Scots would welcome a second-hand Christmas gift

A survey backed by Zero Waste Scotland has found that four-fifths of Scots would welcome a pre-loved gift for Christmas, but 65 per cent of those surveyed said they wouldn’t consider buying a second-hand gift for a loved one. Only one quarter of Scots have ever gifted someone a second-hand item.

Iain Gulland, Chief Executive with Zero Waste Scotland, said:

“People may worry that friends and family won’t be happy with a second-hand gift, but these new figures show the majority of people would actually welcome a pre-loved gift. Now that there are over 80 Revolve certified shops across the country, including high street branches of Sense Scotland and Capability Scotland, it has never been easier to find a place to shop second-hand with confidence.”

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5 ways to save a ruined meal

Something that causes a lot of food waste in the home is when we cook a meal and ‘ruin’ it – often by adding too much of an ingredient or burning it. Don’t panic though: here are five easy ways to rescue your meal, and save it from the bin. Don’t go calling for that takeaway just yet!

How to correct too much salt

We’ve all adding too much salt whilst cooking a meal at some point in our lives, and if it’s too salty it’s just not edible. So, how do you correct it? If it’s a soup or a stew, you have a few options:

  • Add extra water, to dilute the salty liquid
  • Add more of each ingredient (except the salt)
  • Add a potato to the pot, peeled and cut into large chunks, to absorb the excess salt, and then remove the potato once you are happy with how the liquid tastes
  • Add a puree made of unsalted cooked white rice and water to your pot

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How to have a Zero Waste Christmas

Christmas is a wonderful time of year, but it is also unfortunately a time of excess waste: packaging, gift wrap, food, and more. However, Christmas doesn’t need to be so wasteful, and it can be just as much fun without all the additional waste. These tips will help you get started with a zero waste Christmas you and your family will never forget.

Gifts

If you’re aspiring to live a zero waste lifestyle, or even to cut down on the waste you produce, Christmas gifts can be a minefield. This will involve tact and patience, but if you truly don’t want any gifts this Christmas, talk to your loved ones and explain to them why. Or, instead, you could request that people buy you presents that will support your zero waste lifestyle, such as:

  • A stainless steel lunchbox
  • Lush toiletries
  • An e-book
  • A plant
  • A course or experience day
  • An IOU for a task or homecooked meal
  • Packaging-free consumables
  • A donation to a charity of your choice
  • Tickets for a concert, movie or sports event (these can often be emailed to the recipient)
  • A spa day
  • Fresh flowers
  • Reusable glass storage jars for the kitchen

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How to throw a zero waste kid’s birthday party

Children’s parties are generally synonymous with waste – they bring to mind piles of paper plates full of half-eaten food, broken disposable decorations, and party bags full of cheap plastic tat and sweets. However, this potentially highly wasteful situation can easily be turned around by a few simple changes that won’t cost you any more time or money. The kids won’t even notice the difference, but are perfectly capable of creating that party atmosphere whatever their surroundings anyway. Try some of the changes below:

The party invites

Paper invites aren’t necessary, and often get lost or thrown away before the party anyway. Instead, give all of the parents a quick call to invite their child, or send out a simple invite email. This will take less time than buying, writing and posting paper invites, costs less, and creates no waste. If you’d like to send out fun digital invitations instead, try a service such as Paperless Post.

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