It’s Sustainability Week here at Abodus, and to kick off the festivities, we’re focusing on the topic of ‘waste’ and how to reduce it. One of the easiest ways to start your sustainability journey is to reuse your food scraps instead of tossing them in the bin. Read on below to learn about five small steps you can take that will make a big difference to our planet!

1. Use Your Stale Bread to Make Croutons or Breadcrumbs – How often do we forget about that loaf of bread sitting on the side and end up throwing half (or more!) of it away? Probably more often than we’d like to admit! The next time you stumble upon a stale loaf of bread, try your hand at making croutons or breadcrumbs instead of binning it. Check out this video for easy instructions on how to make croutons, and this one for how to make breadcrumbs. They’re both so easy to make, cut down on food waste, and are a lovely addition over your favourite pasta dish or soup!
2. Roast Your Peels – If you’re looking for a healthy change in your snacks but are feeling wary of spending extra money or creating more food waste, roasting the peels from foods like potatoes and apples is a great option! Check out this recipe for a yummy potato peel snack, and try this recipe for instructions on how to make the perfect roasted apple peels.
3. Make An All-Purpose Cleaning Spray – Another great way to repurpose food peels that you can’t eat is to use them to create an all-purpose cleaning spray. Not only will it get all the dirt and grime off your surfaces, but it will also disinfect them without harming you or the environment! Not sure where to start? Not to worry! We’ve already written all the instructions up for you in our blog here.
4. Stir Up a Hearty Vegetable Soup – Do you have lots of vegetables leftover from other meals you’ve been preparing throughout the week? Don’t throw them away— Save them all up and drop them into the slow cooker for a yummy, healthy vegetable soup! Or, if you want to make your soup a little ‘fancier,’ why not try out this recipe for starters? (Bonus Tip: Top your soup with some of your homemade croutons mentioned earlier in this article!)
5. Feed Your Plants – If you don’t have the time to try any of the above recipes, not all hope is lost in reducing your food waste! Composting food scraps is one of the simplest and most original ways to make sure your food isn’t going straight in the bin, and you can even do it in your student accommodation! Simply grab a small compost bin like this one (or repurpose an old metal or wooden bin!) and pop all your food scraps into it, then use them as delicious food for your plants, or gift them on to a fellow plant friend! Need more information before you get started? Check out this beginner’s guide to composting.

Now that you’ve taken the first step towards sustainability, you’re probably feeling much more confident in your abilities to make a positive impact on the future of our planet! If you’re ready to take on the challenge and do your part in making a difference, follow us on Instagram and keep an eye out throughout the week for more tips and tricks on how you can become more sustainable in your day-to-day life.