Zero Waste Week

As you know here at Hug At Home we try to be as sustainable as possible. The majority of our products are made with recycled materials! I believe we as a brand have a responsibility to make sure we are environmentally friendly. But I don’t think we should stop being environmentally friendly when we leave work.

This week it is Zero Waste Week, where people around the country try to reduce the amount of household items and food that they throw away. This national week was brought to life to raise awareness about the effects of waste on the world and climate change, and to challenge people to make a small change during that week.

I’ve found the smallest and easiest changes to make are around food. The below are a few ideas to help you reduce waste -

I always make too much food, I just can’t help it (I think I’m a feeder), but I’m as guilty as anyone for wanting fresh food rather than leftovers so I’m trying to make more of a conscious effort to use any leftovers for lunches or snacks. I’m also really trying to only make the amount of food I need.

I quite often have food in the fridge that I’ve not managed to use that week or I bought too much, instead of throwing it away I’ve started to try make soups or ‘whatever’s in the fridge’ pasta. It’s a bit like a Ready, Steady, Cook challenge, or that’s how I like to think of it to make cooking a bit more fun!

Butternut squash seems to be a big culprit for not been used up (even if I buy a small one), but it’s great for making a soup! I just cut it up in to chunks and roast it with some garlic and whatever herbs or spices I have in, I sometimes add other leftover veggies such as sweet potatoes and peppers. Whilst the veg is roasting, slowly over a low heat fry off some onions. Then just add the roasted veg and some veg stock to the onions and blitz up.

You can add as little or as much of what you want! Simple and delicious. 

This is a fun one I came across this week, a suggestion to label your shelves/drawers on your fridge and freezer. Each shelf/drawer should have a type of food e.g. condiments, meats, dairy, veg, for easy labelling. This helps you know what you’ve got in already and what needs to be used!

Here are some more suggestions - 

• Drink loose leaf tea (did you know how much plastic is in a tea bag?)
• Buy good quality so you only have to buy once
• Avoid single use plastic 
• Compost your food waste
• Plan your weekly meals
• Recycle 

Hope this helps you make a small change. 

 

Busy Lizzie x