Food waste is becoming one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases. On average 14% of this is wasted at the retail and harvest level and 17% at the consumer level. We are on a constant mission to fight food waste! Did you know we have the lowest food waste of any grocer in Canada?

In honor of International Day for Food Loss and Food Waste, we wanted to share ways you can reduce your food waste at home. Firstly, it is important to try and reduce the amount of food wasted, to begin with. Start with these awesome meal planning and composting tips!

Once you are an expert and not letting the food in your fridge go bad, you can go above and beyond by re-using the food scraps! Check out these simple recipes using leftover food scraps. Below are unique examples of how you can use food scraps around the house!

Reuse food scraps for lifestyle purposes!

1. Put eggshells in your garden.

It’s almost second nature to crack an egg and throw the shell into the trash, but eggshells are actually great fertilizers for your garden and benefit the soil. Eggshells add calcium to the soil, which is particularly beneficial if you’re growing tomatoes or peppers. And the jagged and sharp edges can also help deter any slugs that might come chopping down your hard work. If you’re able to crack the egg just from the top and retain most of its shell as a whole, you can also use them as little plant potters to sprout seeds! Just remember to wash it out.

2. Use cucumber peels to deter pests.

Did you know that insects like ants, silverfish, moths, mites, and wasps have an aversion to cucumber? Place cucumber peels where these insects like to roam in your house, or infuse a handful of cucumber peels into a spray bottle of water and spray the same areas. The more bitter the cucumber peel, the better!

3. Make carrot oil with leftover peels.

Carrot oils are super beneficial for your hair. They can help heal damaged hair, strengthen hair, and stimulate hair growth. And they’re super simple to make! Save up about ten carrots worth of peels in the freezer. Put the carrot peels in a pot or slow cooker and cover it with an oil of your choice (coconut oil is also great for your hair). On the lowest heat setting, infuse the carrot and oil together for at least 24 hours. Strain the carrot peels, and store the oil in a jar for six months!

4. Exfoliate with coffee grounds.

Fine coffee grounds are the perfect size to exfoliate your skin. All you have to do is mix it with coconut or olive oil to make the perfect scrub. The caffeine in coffee grounds helps combat cellulite by tightening the skin with increased blood flow and nourishing the skin with antioxidants. And it smells amazing! But it might be a good idea to do this over a towel where you can catch the falling grounds as they may clog the drains.

5. Use onion skin as a dye.

Did you know that all that pigment in onion skins can be made into colour dyes? Take as many red or yellow onion skins as you can find and place them in a pot. Cover it up with water, bring to a boil, and let it simmer for an hour. Next, remove the onion skins, then soak the fabric you want to dye in hot water before submerging them in your dye bath. Leave the pot on simmer for another hour, then let the fabric cool down with the pot. Yellow onion skins can dye your fabric from shades of light yellow to deeper, golden tones. And red onions provide darker, earthier shades of brown. The longer you leave them in, the more concentrated the colours will be! (Onions skins are also a great natural dye for Easter eggs) 

Have you tried any of these methods of repurposing food scraps? Tell us how you like to get creative by not letting your food scraps go to waste!