Waste Reduction: How Low Can You Go? -- Grocery Shopping

Waste Reduction: How Low Can You Go? -- Grocery Shopping

The kitchen garbage bin is often the largest. As we’ve already discussed the importance of composting, we now focus on the next largest quantity of waste. For most households, this is food packaging. So,  if you focus on reducing your waste in the kitchen, you could be making a pretty big impact.

I would again start by suggesting that you do a waste audit. Figure out what you have the most of and what would be the easiest to eliminate.

Top tips:

Use reusable produce bags. Purchase the fruit and vegetables that aren’t packaged and bag them yourself with reusable produce bags. Some grocery stores sell them but you can also find them online or in local shops around the province.

  • Green Tree Beauty (Located in Saskatoon, Province-wide Shipping Available)
  • Hobnobber (Located in Saskatoon, Province-wide Shipping Available)
  • Mortise & Tenon (Located in Regina, Province-wide Shipping Available)
  • The Alternative (Located in Regina, Province-wide Shipping Available)

Shop bulk. Use those reusable produce bags to shop in the bulk section of your grocery store as well. You’ll have to have bags that are a solid and not mesh, as you might be able to buy beans, lentils, pasta, rice, nuts, dried fruit, or other small items.

Make food from scratch. In your waste audit, you might also find packaging for items that you can make yourself with ingredients you can buy without packaging. Pick one or two of those items these and try making them from scratch, see how easy or difficult it is and decide if you’ll continue, then try a couple more!

With these three tips you should be able to significantly reduce your kitchen waste!