Sustainable Kitchen

A key component to a sustainable kitchen is food. Not only what kind of food we buy, packaging, but also how we store it. Proper food storage reduces unnecessary food waste. These zero waste food storage options will help keep your food fresh longer, while also reducing single-use waste.

No Food Waste

Everyone knows what a problem food waste can be, as it makes up about 25 percent of our household waste. More than 40 percent of the food produced for human consumption in the U.S. will never be eaten. Food waste is still rising, having almost doubled since 1974. We are wasting more than 1,400 calories per person per day. That’s almost enough to feed an entire person! Don’t let the news fool you. There is not a food shortage.

Food waste accounts for about 18 percent of municipal solid waste, and what’s even worse is the annual food waste – just at the retail and consumer level – in high-income countries nearly equals the entire annual food production in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, the average piece of produce travels over 3000 miles to our plate.

But the good news is with just a few small changes we can make a huge dent in that number.

While I am a huge fan of composting, it should be the last resort. The first step is to precycle, or to reduce the amount of food we bring in, so we can make sure to use whatever food we bring in the house. There are many ways to reduce food waste, including food planning and reducing the food we bring in.

Transitioning Food Storage

Conventional food storage solutions include zipper storage bags, plastic containers, plastic wrap, aluminum foil, etc. The zero waste lifestyle is a step by step process, so don’t let these ideas pressure you into tossing out everything you have and replacing it with perfectly matched jar sets with chalkboard labels. There is no point in throwing out or donating items in your kitchen that are still working for you. Instead, have a game-plan and an idea for how you will replace them when they are at the end of their lives.

There are no one-size-fits-all solutions for everyone when it comes to zero waste food storage. So find the right solutions for your family and reduce single-use items where you can and leave the rest for another time. In addition, you might suffer a bit of sticker shock. Zero waste items are often quite a bit more than the single-use items. However, you’ll want to think of all the money you’ll be saving not replacing those single-use items.

Zero Waste Food Storage

A sustainable kitchen with proper zero waste food storage will start with cloth grocery bags, glass food storage, and reusable zipper bags.

Always search your local thrift stores and buy kitchen items secondhand whenever possible. Not only are you keeping items from the landfill, but you’re also likely going to get an amazing deal! You can look at thrift stores, garage sales, ebay, and local buy and sell platforms are amazing ways to score zero waste food storage at a fraction of the retail price.

Glass Freezer Containers

There is such a wide variety of sizes and thereby uses for glass jars. They’re perfect for storing soups, cooked beans, leftovers, homemade sauces, and for basic kitchen organization.

This post on Canning Supplies goes in-depth into all the different styles of canning jars available. But the down and dirty canning jar primer:

• 4 oz: This size of canning jars are perfect for spices, baby food, meal prep ingredients or single-serve snacks like guacamole or hummus. Although it’s not considered food, it’s also a perfect size for storing homemade toothpaste.
• 8 oz: This size of glass jars are perfect for homemade sauces like BBQ sauces, jams such as low-waste cherry jams, large quantities of spices or homemade extracts such as vanilla, chocolate, lemon and mint.
• 16 oz: Pint jars are great for freezing food in quantities that you might buy in cans at the grocery store like: beans, tomatoes, and bone broth or zero waste vegetable broth. I also freeze single-servings of soup in wide-mouth canning jars, which are perfect as a single-serve meal.
• 32 oz: The quart canning jar is the perfect size for family-sized servings of soup and beans. This size of glass jars are also great for pantry storage of dry goods.
• 64 oz: These 1/2 gallon jars are not suitable for canning, but work very well for storing large quantities of dry goods from your favorite zero waste shop in your pantry or freezer, such as beans, rice, flour, etc.

Reusable Food Wraps

I’ve never been a fan or cling wrap, but these food wraps are a great replacement for aluminum foil too.

These wraps can use beeswax fabric to mold around food or containers using the warmth in your hands. They are reusable for at least a year if cared for correctly. Wash and rinse in warm water and hang to dry. It is not advisable to use reusable wraps for raw meat, but they have a variety of sizes for bread loafs, sandwiches, cheese, etc.

Another amazing plastic wrap replacement product is silicone stretch lids. You place them over the openings of jars, bowls, plates, or pots and they create a seal just like plastic wrap. They are also dishwasher and freezer-safe.

Zero Waste Produce and Bulk Bin Containers

It’s difficult to leave the produce section without at least a couple of plastic bags, but light-weight mesh produce bags are a great alternative. They’re washable and work great for fruits, veggies, and larger bulk bin items (you know the chocolate covered almonds).

Some stores allow you can bring your own containers. Just make sure to weigh the container prior to filling it (this is called the “tare weight”) so that the cashier can remove the price from the purchase. However, if this isn’t an option, light-weight mesh produce bags are great too.

Zero Waste Shopping Bags

The debate was paper vs plastic, then canvas bags or totes came into the mix. The problem? All shopping bags have quite a high environmental cost. Did you know that plastic bags never really decompose? They just break down into smaller and smaller pieces.They all require energy to manufacture, especially canvas bags. There is a better solution- make your own!

All you need for these DIY shopping bags is an old t-shirt and scissors. If you’re blessed with a surger, you can try another method, but either way they’re incredibly durable and low-impact. You can also crochet plarn (plastic yarn) to make your own plastic shopping bag.

Zip Bags

Silicone has several advantages over plastic in kitchen applications. Plastic is not as hardy or long lasting as silicone is — and silicone is more inert that plastic, which means it has a lower chance of leaching chemicals into food when used for food storage even when heated up to 482 degrees. You read that right. The best part is that silicon zip bags can be used time after time for years and are easy to wash.

How Do You Store Meat Without Plastic?

This probably the question of the century. Most meat from the store will come wrapped in plastic. Storing meat in the freezer until the day before you’re ready to to use it, is the best meat storage practice. Buying directly from a butcher, might give you a little more freedom to ask if you can bring in reusable containers.

The best case scenario is probably buying meat in bulk or buy directly from the farmer. This allows you to have the meat wrapped in butcher paper. If done correctly, you don’t even need to store it in additional containers in the freezer.

Another option would be to freeze meat in single-serve portions on a baking sheet and then transfer to a reusable container like a silicone zipper-bag.

Eco Friendly Lunch Box

I have a couple of lunch boxes laying around that I use to tote my lunch around instead of a paper bag. If I have a sandwich, I will wrap it up in Beeswrap instead of a plastic bag. I typically reuse plastic containers from the yogurt I eat for liquids like soup, pasta or vegetables and other side dishes, but mason jars will work for that too or a thermos you already have. Someday I’ll have a little roll-up pack for my eating utensils, but for now I usually just have a fork or spoon in my bag.

If you need a new lunch box, this stainless steal food container with a condiment holder. They use chemical free materials and it’s leak proof.

If you’re looking for more of a lunch bag, I founded the cutest wax canvas bag. It’s durable and can even be tossed in the washing machine for easy cleaning. The only downside is that it’s not insulated.

If no insulation is a deal breaker, there is also something like EZ-Bento Insulated Lunch Bag with Reusable Fork. It’s durable, kid friendly, fits most sizes of lunch boxes, and is easy to clean.

Zero Waste Water Bottle

Of course, no lunch pack is complete without a zero waste water bottle. There’s so many water bottles options and they’re readily available. I have several from different events I’ve gone to. If I needed to buy a new one, I would probably get one like this Kupton portable travel water bottle. It’s lightweight and is collapsible for easy storage. 

You can also go with the minimalist approach with this Bambaw Insulated Water Bottle. It’s stainless steal with bamboo insulation. It doesn’t even have paint and it’s easy to clean without all the extra straws and mouthpieces.

Zero Waste Food Storage

In conclusion, there are many zero waste food storage options, including those you can take on the go. Food waste and food storage plays a big part during the holidays. I hope this information gives you tools to make the most environmentally friendly choice for your household. Happy Cooking!