I’ve been participating in The Frugal Girl’s Food Waste Friday for almost 4 years.
(And hosting alternate weeks for just over 2 years)
Here’s my first ever post which was dedicated to my amazing Gran.
During those 4 years I have focused on reducing my food waste, to the point where it is minimal.
This was helped by sticking to my No Waste Tastes Great routine.
But as with everything in life, things need mixing up from time to time.
The first week of September I took part in Zero Waste Week. My objective was to reduce the ever increasing mountain of non-recyclable plastic packaging that was growing in my fridge, and kitchen.
The week went well, and it made me think about how I could change my routine to reduce plastic waste as well as food waste.
I’ve started naked shopping. Not literally of course. The weather’s a little on the chilly side in the UK for that kind of thing. And even if it weren’t, we Brits are rather reserved.
I’ll be posting about my new routine in more detail soon, but I wanted to use today’s post to declare my commitment to reducing non-recyclable plastic waste going forward. You’ll be very welcome to pull me up on unnecessary packaging in my Friday Fridge!
Blogging makes you accountable.
My local butchers, and farm shop, is seeing much more of me lately. And my basket, and reusable containers. This was one naked shop earlier this week.
I’m shopping more frequently, which I don’t mind. It’s actually helping to reduce food waste as well as plastic waste.
But there’ll be more on my new routine soon.
Simply Being Mum’s Friday Fridge
The celery will be chopped and frozen to save it going to waste.
(can you see the Aldi Bavaria Beer? That’s for a Girls’ Night Out tonight. Not all 4 mind, just 2. It’s ‘Bring Your Own’ at the local Curry House)
There was waste. One mouldy slice of bread. Not really my error – someone put bread (in plastic) in the fridge (for some reason), and then took it out. That’s a recipe for disaster if ever I saw one!
Please do join in, here in the comments, on your own blog or out and about in social media.
Don’t forget to use the hashtag #FoodWasteFriday – so we can all find one another!
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I took on a new approach to school lunches this year and now have sandwich and treat /snack size boxes that all fit neatly into the lunch bag, so no more rubbish sandwich bags in my house. Will have to step up a gear and move onto “naked” shopping as well ….
Reusable boxes are a good idea. I used to hate throwing all the packets away in the bin (as they could not be recycled). Naked shopping takes a little planning, but it’s very rewarding! Good luck!
I took on a new approach to school lunches this year and now have sandwich and treat /snack size boxes that all fit neatly into the lunch bag, so no more rubbish sandwich bags in my house. Will have to step up a gear and move onto “naked” shopping as well ….
Reusable boxes are a good idea. I used to hate throwing all the packets away in the bin (as they could not be recycled). Naked shopping takes a little planning, but it’s very rewarding! Good luck!
Hiya, love the idea of shopping with the basket! Here’s my fridge this week http://beagreenbean.co.uk/2014/10/10/food-waste-friday-2/
Thanks will be over to yours!
Hiya, love the idea of shopping with the basket! Here’s my fridge this week http://beagreenbean.co.uk/2014/10/10/food-waste-friday-2/
Thanks will be over to yours!
Noreen i do the same i use small click boxes inside bigger ones, cuts out the need for foil, wrap or bags.
Jo i have thrown away a good size veg chilli and rice (son@girlfriends) and i also threw away 1/2 pot of natural yoghourt and a moldy onion (forgot to insta it) and i always throw away(every week) the ends on the loaves?! I really struggle with packaging on fruit n veg, my ‘perfect’ shop involves doing a route, but when im time poor i have to do an Aldi sweep, and their fruit n veg is always a problem with packaging (PLEASE Aldi, sort this out!?)
Looking forward to your ZW post Jo 🙂
Sharron x
Sharron – It’s a tough one!! I too do my main grocery shop in Aldi (because they have fab prices and products) but since choosing to *reduce my plastic there are many things that I cannot buy there if I stick to my decision. I’ll touch on it more when I do my ZWW post but for example pasta. This was difficult to track down in recyclable packaging (I’m not going to make my own) but I found an Italian brand in Sainsbury’s. More to come!
*I haven’t eliminated plastic waste yet. But reduced. For example the Kids still want crisps. And there are other things too that I buy. But for me it’s about doing the best I can. If I can reduce even a little (like on fruit and vegetables) that’s better than nothing.
Noreen i do the same i use small click boxes inside bigger ones, cuts out the need for foil, wrap or bags.
Jo i have thrown away a good size veg chilli and rice (son@girlfriends) and i also threw away 1/2 pot of natural yoghourt and a moldy onion (forgot to insta it) and i always throw away(every week) the ends on the loaves?! I really struggle with packaging on fruit n veg, my ‘perfect’ shop involves doing a route, but when im time poor i have to do an Aldi sweep, and their fruit n veg is always a problem with packaging (PLEASE Aldi, sort this out!?)
Looking forward to your ZW post Jo 🙂
Sharron x
Sharron – It’s a tough one!! I too do my main grocery shop in Aldi (because they have fab prices and products) but since choosing to *reduce my plastic there are many things that I cannot buy there if I stick to my decision. I’ll touch on it more when I do my ZWW post but for example pasta. This was difficult to track down in recyclable packaging (I’m not going to make my own) but I found an Italian brand in Sainsbury’s. More to come!
*I haven’t eliminated plastic waste yet. But reduced. For example the Kids still want crisps. And there are other things too that I buy. But for me it’s about doing the best I can. If I can reduce even a little (like on fruit and vegetables) that’s better than nothing.
Hi Jo,
Thanks for the update on zero waste week. You have honestly been a real guiding light for me when it comes to reducing my plastic waste!
Here is my week of waste and an amazing recipe which was super popular in my home and on the blog. Enjoy your Girl’s Night 🙂
http://www.veeseasyvegan.com/blueberry-coconut-custard-mint-in-the-garden-and-food-waste-friday/:
Thanks Vicki I did! I’ll be over to yours shortly. Looking forward to the recipe!
Hi Jo,
Thanks for the update on zero waste week. You have honestly been a real guiding light for me when it comes to reducing my plastic waste!
Here is my week of waste and an amazing recipe which was super popular in my home and on the blog. Enjoy your Girl’s Night 🙂
http://www.veeseasyvegan.com/blueberry-coconut-custard-mint-in-the-garden-and-food-waste-friday/:
Thanks Vicki I did! I’ll be over to yours shortly. Looking forward to the recipe!
All Naked shoppers, What do you use when buying meat and fish? I find jars rather awkward to carry and have in the freezer, so bought a few glass boxes w plastc lids in IKEA and use them. Still quite heavy, but stack well in the freezer.
Oooo, you can bet I’m excted about this! Good luck with your on-going pledge 🙂 Apple – I take tupperware, type container to the butcher and deli – ok it’s still plastic, but it’s reusable, lightweight, doesn’t break and can be easily cleaned with boiling water 🙂 I only buy enough for the week, so can transfer it to other containers at home if I need to…
Hi Both – I use pyrex for the meat. It is heavy but I don’t mind. My fresh shop is being done 2 or 3 times a week now (which may not work for others) but I work from home and am up and down to school each day so can easily pop into local shops. (My Mom always did this!). The vegetables just go in my basket and are transferred to cupboard or fridge – but I’m using everything so quickly that they don’t need ‘preserving’ very much. In the fridge I keep glass jars for lemon, chopped onion etc…
In Ikea they have some great glass containers – 3 sizes and with corners! (Round containers drive me potty – so hard to store and take up so much wasted space). They are Fortrolig jars with lids £2.50 – £4.50.
All Naked shoppers, What do you use when buying meat and fish? I find jars rather awkward to carry and have in the freezer, so bought a few glass boxes w plastc lids in IKEA and use them. Still quite heavy, but stack well in the freezer.
Oooo, you can bet I’m excted about this! Good luck with your on-going pledge 🙂 Apple – I take tupperware, type container to the butcher and deli – ok it’s still plastic, but it’s reusable, lightweight, doesn’t break and can be easily cleaned with boiling water 🙂 I only buy enough for the week, so can transfer it to other containers at home if I need to…
Hi Both – I use pyrex for the meat. It is heavy but I don’t mind. My fresh shop is being done 2 or 3 times a week now (which may not work for others) but I work from home and am up and down to school each day so can easily pop into local shops. (My Mom always did this!). The vegetables just go in my basket and are transferred to cupboard or fridge – but I’m using everything so quickly that they don’t need ‘preserving’ very much. In the fridge I keep glass jars for lemon, chopped onion etc…
In Ikea they have some great glass containers – 3 sizes and with corners! (Round containers drive me potty – so hard to store and take up so much wasted space). They are Fortrolig jars with lids £2.50 – £4.50.
While I like the naked shopping idea, when paying for food here, the person behind the counter would have to handle it with their bare hands (which have also handled bank cards, cash, other groceries), and lay it on the scale (which would have had any number of meat packages/food/cans/boxes). Yuck! I much prefer the plastic barrier between my food and possible contaminants.
Thanks Diane for coming over! The fresh meat etc is transferred to my pyrex dish by a utensil I believe? And also I have seen them grab a small piece of plastic to grab the item – so theoretically there has been plastic wasted here. But they aren’t allowed to actually touch the meat (I don’t think). As for the vegetables and fruit that I don’t mind as I wash it at home when I prep it – I do this with even packaged items anyway. With bread they again use a utensil, or grab in it paper.
I cannot find anywhere to buy cheese unwrapped at all.
But I do understand your reservations. Food hygiene is incredibly important.
While I like the naked shopping idea, when paying for food here, the person behind the counter would have to handle it with their bare hands (which have also handled bank cards, cash, other groceries), and lay it on the scale (which would have had any number of meat packages/food/cans/boxes). Yuck! I much prefer the plastic barrier between my food and possible contaminants.
Thanks Diane for coming over! The fresh meat etc is transferred to my pyrex dish by a utensil I believe? And also I have seen them grab a small piece of plastic to grab the item – so theoretically there has been plastic wasted here. But they aren’t allowed to actually touch the meat (I don’t think). As for the vegetables and fruit that I don’t mind as I wash it at home when I prep it – I do this with even packaged items anyway. With bread they again use a utensil, or grab in it paper.
I cannot find anywhere to buy cheese unwrapped at all.
But I do understand your reservations. Food hygiene is incredibly important.
No Food Waste Friday post from me this week, this last week of holidays has been too busy to get anywhere near the computer for very long!
But, unfortunately, I have much food waste to declare! One muffin, forgotten about in my bag on holiday, some carrots that went squishy in the fridge, some lettuce that I never got around to eating, a squishy kiwifruit, and I’m sure there was more, but it’s holidays and I forgot to write it down in all the busyness! Next week it’s back to school, back to normal routines, and I promise to do better!!! 🙂
We all get a week off for holidays Clare! Hope you had fun!
No Food Waste Friday post from me this week, this last week of holidays has been too busy to get anywhere near the computer for very long!
But, unfortunately, I have much food waste to declare! One muffin, forgotten about in my bag on holiday, some carrots that went squishy in the fridge, some lettuce that I never got around to eating, a squishy kiwifruit, and I’m sure there was more, but it’s holidays and I forgot to write it down in all the busyness! Next week it’s back to school, back to normal routines, and I promise to do better!!! 🙂
We all get a week off for holidays Clare! Hope you had fun!
I know you’re trying to reduce waste/use of things like cling film, n probably tinfoil too, but I have a good tip for the celery – wrap it fully up in tinfoil-no gaps- makes it last forever in the fridge- no wilting floppy celery, no waste! 🙂
I know you’re trying to reduce waste/use of things like cling film, n probably tinfoil too, but I have a good tip for the celery – wrap it fully up in tinfoil-no gaps- makes it last forever in the fridge- no wilting floppy celery, no waste! 🙂
So inspiring! I am walking on the zero waste path and I am so happy that I decided to do that. I changed a few things and I reduces drastically the waste at home. I am glad to read about people like you, who care about the environment.
Great job Kathlyn!
So inspiring! I am walking on the zero waste path and I am so happy that I decided to do that. I changed a few things and I reduces drastically the waste at home. I am glad to read about people like you, who care about the environment.
Great job Kathlyn!