Did you know that a lot of the food waste that you throw out on a regular basis could be reused for something else? From adding them to your food in place of flavoring agents to using them as cleaning products and air fresheners, here are some creative ways to reuse food waste.
The art of creative reuse : Upcycling waste and upscaling the e...
Make cleaners and insect repellents out of fruit and vegetable peels
Instead of throwing away the peels of the fruits and vegetables you consume on a regular basis, you can use them to make strong natural household cleaners and bug repellents. This can be done in two ways. You can either boil the peels in water and use that or soak the peels in vinegar and use it after a week. If you are using vinegar to make your cleaner, then dilute it with equal parts of water. Transfer the liquid onto a spray bottle and use it to clean surfaces in the kitchen. You can use orange and lemon peels with vinegar and some essential oil and use that as an insect repellent too.
Natural skin scrubs out of kitchen waste
If you consume a lot of coffee then use the coffee grounds that you would usually throw away to make a skin scrub. Mix equal amount of coffee grounds with brown sugar and a little bit of coconut oil and apply it onto your skin after you shower to get smooth and soft skin. You can also use squeezed out lemon peels to get rid of blackheads as well as lighten the skin on your knees and elbows. Take a few spoonful of granulated sugar and dip the lemon peel into it. Scrub that onto your skin for two minutes and rinse with cold water.
Making zests and broths
Apparently, the peels of citrus fruits are five times more nutritious than the pulp. If you feel weird eating these peels as they are, then you can make zests out of them and store it for future use. Grate the peels and store it in the freezer. Also, instead of throwing away extra vegetables and their peels, herbs and vegetable leaves, store all that in an airtight container in the freezer. Once the container is full, pour it all in a pot full of water. Cover the pot with a lid and let all the ingredients boil for a while. Then separate the liquid and store that in your refrigerator as vegetable broth. It can be used for a month if you store it properly.
Eat the seeds
Just like the peels, seeds of fruits are also very nutritious and some seeds including that of papayas, avocados, apples, watermelon and pears are known to prevent various types of cancer. Avocado seeds contain more than 50% of the total amount of antioxidants found in avocados and are rich in fiber. Apple, pear, papaya and watermelon seeds also have a lot of antioxidants and fatty acids. You can use these seeds in a lot of ways. Grind them and turn them into powder. Or add a little water while grinding the seeds and make a paste out of it. Avocado seeds can also be used while making guacamole. You can also add the seeds while making smoothies out of these fruits.
Regrow pineapples
Save the crown of pineapples every time you eat them. Once you have collected about five to six of these, keep them together in an area that gets a lot of sunlight for about a week. You’ll see roots growing out of them. Plant them into a container filled with soil and water them regularly. Also make sure to keep these containers in an area that gets plenty of sunlight. Mini pineapple plants will grow out of these in no time.
Make use of the natural scent of food products
Add the zest of citrus oil to water and leave it overnight. You can use that mixture as air freshener. You can actually add any food product that has a nice smell (like cinnamon, cardamom, etc.) to this mixture and use it. It can also be used as fabric spray. Similarly, you can also place the peels of citrus food in your waste container to get rid of the foul smell. Another way you can use fruit peels is by grinding them and using that to keep your carpets from smelling nasty.
Use eggshells as fertilizers
Using food waste as fertilizers is not a new concept. But not many people use eggshells in the place of fertilizers. The calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, magnesium phosphate, and calcium phosphate present in eggshells prevent soil acidification. Clean the eggshells properly after you have broken an egg and let it dry. Crush them and add them to a bowl full of water. Let the water settle overnight and then use it to water your plants the next day. You can also crush the eggshells and add that directly to the soil.
