At Home for Earth Day: Houseplants from Kitchen Scraps
The USDA estimates that around 30-40% of food in the United States is thrown away. This happens at all tiers of the food production chain, including on the consumer end. When we throw away food, it’s not only a waste of money, but it can have a big impact on the environment. Here are some stats from the an EPA factsheet published in September 2019:
More food (over 75 billion pounds) reaches landfills and combustion facilities than any other form of trash, making up 22% of waste
All this rotting food in landfills releases methane, a greenhouse gas, making landfills the third biggest cause of human-related methane emissions in the U.S.
Globally, food loss and waste have a carbon footprint of 4.4 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide and consumes 21% of all fresh water
The amount of food being thrown away may seem overwhelming, but the United States is doing it’s part to help reduce this environmental impact. In 2015, the USDA and EPA joined together to set a goal of cutting the U.S.’s food waste in half by 2030. One way these departments are hoping to achieve this goal is by offering benefits, like awards, recognition, and free trainings, to big companies, such as grocery stores, hotels, and restaurants, who reduce their food waste. Solutions are being implemented around the world, too. From smarter packaging that keeps foods fresh for a longer amount of time to improved harvesting and storage techniques that reduce loss during production, innovative tactics are helping reduce the amount of food put into landfills globally.
Individuals are also doing their part. With food waste awareness becoming more widespread, people are trying to reduce their waste at home. One way to reduce food waste (and provide some other benefits, like cleaning the air in your home and, according to some studies, boosting your mood and your productivity) is using kitchen scraps to grow houseplants! Scroll down for a few ideas.
Houseplants from Kitchen Scraps
Tomatoes:
The average tomato has 150 to 300 seeds. So if you get a tomato from the store, but weren’t able to eat the whole thing, you can grow the rest!
You’ll need a pot, some soil, a knife, a cutting board, and water.
Fill a pot about 2/3 full with soil. Slice your leftover tomato and place the slices in the pot. Cover with about an inch of soil, and water the seeds. Place the pot in a warm, sunny place, and keep the soil moist. In about 8-10 days you’ll start to see seedlings poking out of the soil.
8 days after planting
12 days after planting
Pineapple:
Twist off the leafy crown of the pineapple (and cut up the rest of the fruit for a snack). Remove some of the lower leaves from the crown so about 1 inch of the stem is exposed. Poke toothpicks into the stem, and place the crown in a glass of water. Set in a warm, sunny place, and change the water every couple days to prevent mold. In several days to a week, you’ll start to see roots growing from the crown. Plant in a pot of soil when the roots are a few inches long. Pineapples grow in tropical climates, so for a healthy plant, keep your pineapple warm and moist.
Celery:
Slice the root off a bunch of celery about two inches from the end. Place in a shallow bowl of water and set in a sunny place. Change the water every couple days to prevent mold. In a few days, you should start to see new leaves growing from the center of the celery, and in about a week, you should see some new stalks, leaves, and roots. The outside stalks may start to turn brown—this is normal, but try to plant your celery before they rot too much. When the roots are about an inch long, plant your celery in soil and keep it in a shady spot.
Avocado:
Remove the pit from an avocado (and use the fruit to make some guacamole—this is a great recipe!). Rinse off any fruit that’s clinging to the pit, and identify the root end. The pit has a “top” and “bottom.” The bottom has a small bump where the root with grow out of. Poke three toothpicks into the pit and set in a glass of water. Keep in a warm, sunny spot, and replace the water every few days to prevent mold growing on your pit. Now we wait—it can take anywhere from 4-8 weeks for your avocado pit to grow a root and a sprout. As it starts to grow, you’ll see the brown seed skin dry up and fall off, the pit will split, and roots will grow from the bottom. Make sure when the roots form you keep them submerged in water. A stem will sprout from the top of the pit, and when it’s about 5 inches tall, plant your seed in soil. Avocados love sun and water, so keep your plant in a sunny place and water it frequently.
Eggshell seed starters:
Just like people, for a plant to grow big and healthy it needs to have proper nutrients in it’s “diet.” A plant absorbs nutrients from the ground it’s growing in, and one of these nutrients plants need is calcium. Like we need calcium for strong bones, plants needs calcium for strong cell walls. Eggshells are full of calcium, and we can start growing our plants right in an eggshell.
Make some scrambled eggs for breakfast and save the shells. Clean out your eggshells and fill about 2/3 full with soil. Place some small seeds in the shells (we’re using wildflowers), and cover with soil. Mist with water and place on a sunny windowsill. Keep the soil moist, and keep an eye out for the seedlings to start poking out of the soil. The amount of time it takes for your seeds to grow depends on what you planted. When the seedlings are a couple inches tall, plant in a pot of soil or in a garden, eggshell and all. As your plants grow, the eggshells will start to break down, providing your plant with calcium.
Other ways to help reduce food waste:
Start a compost pile:
Infographic via PBS.org
Save scraps and make stock. Leftover bones and meat from chicken can be used to make a homemade chicken stock and left over vegetable scraps (onion skins, potato peelings, carrot tops and peels, etc.) can be used to make vegetable stock.
Keep food longer by freezing and canning.
What other ways can you think of to reduce food waste?
