A zero-waste pantry is not only eco-friendly, but it will also save you money. Many people don’t realize how much they throw away when food goes bad in their refrigerator or cupboards. This blog post will teach you zero waste tips and tricks to help you create a zero-waste kitchen that is both healthy and frugal.
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How To make a zero waste pantry?
So you want to zero-waste your kitchen? Making a zero waste pantry is the first step.
Step 1: Clear out your old pantry and clean it. And if the pantry flooring needs an upgrade or replacement and you’re having trouble with whether to continue using a wooden or a composite decking material (flooring) for longevity and lesser maintenance.
Step 2: Buy reusable containers (see related blog post). You can also use jars, plastic containers with lids, etc.
Step 3: Figure out where all of your new containers will live and what goes into them. This includes spices and baking materials like flour and sugar (Unless you buy in bulk or don’t keep sugar), cereals, rice, beans (Legumes), oatmeal, popcorn kernels/popcorn bags for later popping… Look around at all of the options available to you – there are lots!
Step 4: Go shopping! Make sure to bring your zero waste grocery list, and don’t forget to take bulk/reusable containers if you need them. If you have a zero-waste pantry, keep track of what kinds of foods you buy so that when you run out, you know what to buy next time.
Once all the food has been bought, store it in your zero waste pantry.
20 tips for zero waste pantry
Step 1: Use reusable containers/bags
Place your bulk purchases into cloth bags or glass jars. This way, you will refill these items when they are running low, rather than buying the commercially produced, disposable option. If you only need a small amount of an item, transfer it into a smaller container for daily use. I find that buying spices this way has reduced our household waste considerably! To track how much space is left in my jar, I mark it on the lid with a permanent marker. For dry goods like sugar and flour, store them in air-tight glass containers. The fewer grains are exposed to oxygen (and consequently spoiling), the better!
If you feel that making all these zero-waste containers is too much work, start by switching your regular plastic bag to a reusable one. This should be a good enough intro to zero waste shopping!
Step 2: Shop in bulk
Purchasing foodstuffs from bulk bins will reduce packaging and save you money at the same time. Plus, it’s a great way to stock up on staple items like flour and rice for zero waste pantries. Although these stores may not cater to vegan diets out of the box, you can bring your containers or bags from home and ask them to fill them up with no additional cost. Bulk bin shops allow you to get only as much of an item as you need – this makes zero wastage possible! Just make sure you bring clean containers to a zero waste shop and wash them out before reusing them.
For zero waste pantries, you can cut down packaging even further by asking the store to put items straight into your container – request what’s called a “duffle cut,” and they will be happy to oblige! Just make sure that you ask for this service as soon as you walk in the door, as zero waste stores typically do not like doing duffle cuts after closing hours. If bulk bins are not available where you live, try shopping at zero waste markets instead. They offer zero wasters, a zero-waste alternative to the bulk bin shopping – zero waste markets sell local fare and other zero-waste staples such as clothing and cleaning materials/products.
Warning: zero waste shopping may become an addiction! You have been warned. 🙂
Step 3: Grow your veggies and herbs.
Growing your vegetables is not only a great way to learn about how plants grow, but it’s also zero waste pantry-friendly! Even if you don’t have access to a garden, you can put up some kitchen scraps in old jars or cups. I’ve even grown tomatoes on my windowsill before – it’s very simple! Just make sure that whatever medium you choose will allow for excess water to drain. Otherwise, the plant might get root rot. Also, remember that herbs typically require less watering than other kinds of plants, so don’t be afraid to pick up some mint, rosemary, or basil seeds to zero waste pantry. You can also keep your zero waste kitchen gardens indoors if you don’t have room outside – some fresh herbs are perfect for soups and salads, especially during the winter months!
Step 4: Make your zero-waste cleaning products.
With zero waste living on the rise, it is becoming more common to see zero wasters making their zero-waste cleaning products. These recipes typically involve using simple household essentials like baking soda, vinegar, and lemon juice along with essential plant oils such as tea tree oil or lavender oil. Some zero wasters even use Celtic sea salt in their recipes for an all-natural scrubbing agent! Just remember to keep containers for your homemade zero waste cleaners carefully away from children and pets, as some of these liquids can be quite harmful if ingested.
Step 5: Store your zero waste pantry items correctly
If you have food-based zero waste pantry items that use containers (such as cereal or pasta), make sure to monitor their expiry dates and throw out anything that has expired. Anything with a zero-waste pantry use-by date should be stored somewhere cool, dark, and dry – this will prevent soiling and reduce the growth of fungus, mold, and other potentially hazardous contaminants. Any zero waste pantry products that don’t come in any container (for example, spices) should be stored somewhere similar – keep them out of direct sunlight and away from humidity. That’s it! If you follow the zero entire waste pantry steps outlined above, you’ll be well on your way to zero waste home success!
Step 6: Prepare zero waste pantry ingredients before you cook.
It’s always a good idea to zero waste pantry prepare zero waste pantry ingredients before you start cooking. This will make the cooking process easier and more efficient – zero wasters know that it is always better to plan when zero waste! It also makes sense to zero waste pantry prepare zero-waste ingredients in bulk (whenever possible) to reduce food wastage at home. For example, if you’re planning to make mashed potatoes, why not peel your potatoes, chop them into pieces, and store them in water? You can then boil them later on with some fresh herbs or vegetables for an easy side dish. The same goes for boiling eggs – prepare zero-waste ingredients in bulk whenever you have the opportunity, and zero waste pantry boil them all at once.
Step 7: Store zero waste pantry leftovers correctly
Did you know that more food is wasted at home than anywhere else? Food wastage during zero-waste cooking is a common zero-waste mistake, so it’s important to zero waste pantries store zero-waste leftovers carefully! Always keep zero waste cooked food covered with aluminum foil or plastic wrap to prevent bugs from crawling into your delicious zero-waste creation. You can also use certain foods as zero waster fridge containers – onion skins, vanilla pods, and bay leaves are great for this purpose. For example, you can place a slice of bread on top of a bowl of zero-waste soup to prevent the bread from becoming soggy and store your zero-waste soup in the fridge. Just remember that zero-waste cooking is all about zero wastage, so zero wasters keep zero-waste leftovers to a minimum!
Step 8: Empty zero waste pantry water into plants or down the drain
After you boil zero waste pantry pasta (for example), it’s time to dump that zero waste pantry boiling water out! But rather than dumping it straight into the sink, why not use this precious resource to nourish some plant life? Dumping zero waste pantry water onto houseplants or garden plants can help them grow big and strong. It also provides fresh nutrients for other types of zero-waste plant life, such as zero-waste vegetables and zero-waste fruit – zero wasters know that zero-waste plants need zero-waste water! Over time, zero wasters can grow a zero-waste food forest in their backyard – this reduces the need for fertilizer and is great for fresh zero waste produce at home.
Step 9: Don’t put zero waste pantry scraps down the drain
Make sure to use leftover zero-waste food as zero waster compost or zero wastage animal fodder rather than disposing of it down your sink. Many common products such as apple peels, tea bags, eggshells, and even bread crusts may be compostable, but putting them down a sewer causes blockages and other zero waste plumbing problems. Since zero wasters know that zero waste cooking should be about zero wastage, zero wasters keep zero waste scraps to a minimum!
Step 10: Eat zero waste pantry leftovers for zero-zero food wastage.
Zero food wastage is the goal of every serious zero waster – it’s not only good for nature but also reduces food costs. So make sure you don’t let any zero waste pantry leftovers go to waste by eating them for lunch (or dinner). Why not take your leftover bread crusts and turn them into bread crumbs or use them as breading material for fried foods? It may not be an aesthetically pleasing meal, but zero-zero food wastage always comes first. If zero-zero food wastage is not your zero priority, then you should zero waste leftovers more carefully!
Step 11: Freeze zero waste pantry foods for zero-zero waster freezer meals
Zero wasters know that some foods need to be frozen before being used in a zero-waste recipe. For example, if you’re making bread crumbs, it’s good to freeze the bread (after slicing) before turning it into little pieces with a grater or blender. Freezing bread makes it easier to grate or blitz up into small bits without getting too messy and wasting any bread that gets caught in the blades. Some other examples of zero-waste freezers might be pasta sauces, soups, zero leftovers, or zero-waste fruits (bananas, berries, etc.). Sometimes zero-waste freezer foods can be frozen in zero-waste bags, which you can reuse for other types of zero-waste cooking.
Step 12: Store zero-waste pantry food properly to last the entire zero waster year
Zero wasters know that it’s important to keep their zero waste pantries fresh by storing all foods properly. For example, keeping bread in the fridge prevents it from going stale and preserves its ideal flavor. Zero wastage is important when storing food, so make sure you save all of your leftover bits of fruit peelings too! They may not taste the best at the moment, but zero wasters know that zero wastage is important when it comes to zero waste pantry food.
Step 13: Make zero waste cooking plans for zero-zero waster success.
Zero wasters know that a good zero-waste cooking plan can make all the difference in a successful zero-waste kitchen experience. For example, planning out what you’re going to eat ahead of time helps ensure that you have enough ingredients and reduces any chance of wasting them due to confusion or forgetfulness. Planning your zero-waste cooking menu also makes sure that you use up everything in your zero waste pantries without having too many leftovers remain at the end of the week! Some other examples of zero-waste planning might include zero planning your zero wastage of a certain ingredient ahead of time, writing a shopping list of only the necessary items, or going grocery shopping on a 100% full stomach.
Step 14: Save your pantry scraps for more eco-friendly uses
Many types of food waste can be recycled into even more organic materials to add to compost, garden mulch, or other things that can benefit nature. Some examples of these materials are apple peels, banana peels, and tea bags. These types of foods can be reused as soil additives in meditation gardens or spiritual spaces too! Overall, you should save all food scraps except bones and larger bits (like corn cobs) to create zero wastes that can be added to your zero-waste compost pile, zero zero-waste gardens, or other zero-waste food recycling projects.
Step 15: Donate zero-waste pantry foods to local charities
Zero wasters know that it’s important not only to reuse and recycle but also to give back! If you have any zero-waste pantry items like bread, desserts (e.g., cookies), fruits and veggies, and even meat and dairy products left over at the end of the week, then consider donating them to a local hunger relief agency or a homeless person who may appreciate them more than you do! Giving away leftover zero-w pantry foods is an easy 0% way to help the planet while helping other people in need!
Conclusion
The Zero Waste Pantry is a guide for people who are looking to make their kitchens more eco-friendly. This blog post includes how-to’s, tips, and recipes that will help you minimize your trash output in the kitchen by reducing what you buy in the first place. We hope this article has inspired you to start making changes in your home today! Now go ahead and start creating an Eco-Friendly Kitchen with our step-by-step instructions for starting small or going all in. Don’t forget about our 20 Tips – they’re just waiting for you at the bottom of this page. Happy zero-waste cooking!
