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Eco Tips

Each month we will be sharing ideas of things you can do to shrink your carbon footprint and combat climate change. They will range from easy and cheap challenges to really life-changing ones.

We hope you’re up for the challenge, but please do what you can as it all helps. If there’s anything you’d like to know more about, or a topic you’d like us to cover in future, do let us know.
 

Liz Francis

Food Ingredients in Bowls

This Month's Eco Tips: Food

Domestic Waste Bin

This Month's Eco Tips: Food Waste

  • Take an inventory of the contents of your cupboards, fridge & freezer. Plan meals to use what you’ve already got

  • Write a shopping list and only buy what you will use

  • Try batch cooking

  • Use your freezer – you might be surprised with what you can freeze! (https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/freezing-food-freezer-defrosting-how-long-which-foods-cooking-a8530971.html)

  • Make your own stock with bones or vegetable scraps. I freeze veg scraps until I have enough to boil up, then freeze tubs of stock for when I need them.

  • Turn slightly overripe fruit into smoothies or ice lollies

  • Share unwanted food on the Olio app

  • Become a Food Waste Hero (https://olioapp.com/en/become-an-olio-volunteer/)

  • Eat frozen veg instead of fresh

  • Grow your own herbs, fruit & veg. You can save the seeds from some fruit and veg and plant them out in the spring – try cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes or butternut squash

  • Eat a variety of foods

  • Check your fridge is between 3 and 5 degrees

  • Put new ingredients at the back of your fridge/cupboard and old ones as the front to remind you to use them first

  • Keep vegetables with chopped ends – e.g. broccoli – with the end in water

  • Keep fruit and vegetables separate in the fridge

  • Don’t put these in the fridge if unchopped: potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, tomatoes, avocado, bread, fresh herbs

  • Challenge yourself to do a ‘ready steady cook’ once a week to use up leftover ingredients

  • Use bread crusts to make your own breadcrumbs and croutons

  • Make your own cider vinegar with apple peels & cores

  • Toss apple peels in cinnamon & sugar and bake them

  • Refresh droopy lettuce in cold water

  • Use food after the ‘best before’ date. It’s perfectly safe and may still be delicious

  • Non-perishables in unopened packaging, before Best Before dates, can be donated to your local food bank

  • Try a veg box: https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/food-drink/whats-veg-box

  • To dispose of cooking oils, put them in food waste or soak them up with paper towels and put them in the bin.

  • Preserve food. Drying, fermenting and pickling are great ways to make things last.

  • For even more info check out these websites:

  • For even more info check out these websites:
    wwf.org.uk/eat4change/bring-change-to-the-table
    lowpricefoods.com
    www.lovefoodhatewaste.com
    fareshare.org.uk/zero-waste-challenge
    https://www.sharinglifetrust.org/community-larder
    https://www.oddbox.co.uk/
    https://wonkycoffee.com/
    https://www.toogoodtogo.com/

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