Wasted Opportunities

Before being on this ‘Zero Waste’ journey (whilst subscribing to the ‘Circular Economy’ concept), I’ve never thought of the waste I produce in a day. In fact ever since I was aware of the waste I’ve been generating, I’m unable to view it the same way. So we’ve compiled some ways we can reuse the common wastes that we generate daily! 

Vegetable stock

There isn’t a recipe you can follow, per say, as everyone’s veggie scraps would differ! But as suggested by Fat Dough, there are certain veggie scraps that would be helpful in bringing out the flavour and depth of your veggie stock like: Onion ends/roots, carrot peels, mushroom stems, sweet potato tops. 

Briefly, here’s how to do it: 

• Throw your veggie scraps into the freezer after each cooking session
• When you feel like you have a good stash, add it into a large pot over a stove top (or a slow cooker), add water until the scraps are just nicely covered by water
• Cover the mixture and cook on low for at least 4 hours.
• Salt it to your desire and cool it in ice cube moulds for easy access! 

Bio-Enzyme Cleaners

What if we told you that you could make your own household cleaner practically for free? This 3-month-long fermentation project might sound too lengthy for your taste but if you’re not in a rush to replenish your cleaning supplies, you should try this project out! These cleaners use enzymes from the citrus fruit peels, which are naturally occurring proteins, to break down dirt, grime, fats, and starches for a safe cleaning experience. It’s capable of cleaning anything from greasy stove tops to vegetables from the market! 

Following this tutorial, you’d need: 

• Lukewarm water
• Citrus fruit peels
• Brown sugar
• Active yeast (optional – it speeds up the fermentation process!)
• A plastic bottle to store the cleaner (extra points if you reuse a bottle!)

The ratio to these simple ingredients is 10:3:1 – with water (ml), peels (grams), and brown sugar (grams) measured accordingly. You may add a teaspoon of yeast if you’d like! 

We measured and kept all those ingredients in a Meiji 2L bottle – with the date written clearly on a label to keep track of the process. However, we did have to ‘burp’ the bottle (aka crack the lid open for a second) a couple times a day for the first few weeks to ensure that the whole bottle won’t end up exploding in our office. Though, we do know people who have had their bottles explode on them despite ‘burping’ them often. To solve this issue, we made a small hole on the Meiji bottle cap and inserted an ‘aquarium check valve’. Essentially, it is a one-way air valve that allows air to leave the bottle, but not air to enter the bottle. After this quick DIY we found that we didn’t need to ‘burp’ the bottle as it naturally did so. 

After 2-3 months (2 months if you used yeast!), you’ll have your very own bio-enzyme cleaner! While you can use it undiluted for stubborn stains and grease, you should dilute it to better utilise your bio-enzyme stash! For a general multipurpose cleaner, you can dilute 1 part of bio-enzyme to 10 parts water (this works for tiles, mirrors, sinks, etc.). For lighter cleaning tasks like washing fruits and vegetables, you can get away with 1:20! 

Containers

Glass bottles/jars hold so many products in the supermarket – from drinks to peanut butter. These are great for storage, food prep, or even DIY projects to make vases, planters or cups! This tutorial brings you through this simple project to make some new cups for your home! Get creative with the materials you have! 

Clothes to Fibre Products

Repurpose old or torn t-shirts into cleaning cloths, tote bags, pet toys, pillow cases – the possibilities are endless! This site shows you various types of clothing that can be transformed into something more useful for you. Alternatively, you can take up some workshops to guide you through the process! 

Have fun rethinking your waste!