How to Pursue the Goal of a Zero-Waste Kitchen Without Losing Your Mind
How to shop, cook, clean, and eat well, according to Oakland-based sustainability expert Lily Cameron.
Aubrie Pick
Written byLily CameronMarch 29, 2021
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We can all get behind the idea of wasting less and recycling more, but come garbage day our bins often overflow with trash, much of it destined for landfill.
Like many of us, Lily Cameron wanted to do better and set off on a path of reducing waste in her life. She and her husband now run the pioneering low-waste housewares shop Wild Minimalist in San Rafael, California. While we’ve all heard the stories of extreme paring-down that yields a single jar of waste in a year, that sort of sustainability is, well, not very sustainable. In her new book, Simply Sustainable: Moving Toward Plastic-Free, Low-Waste Living(Ten Speed Press; $25), Cameron lays out an achievable plan for wasting less and living cleaner. The trick is to start small but with the big culprit: plastic. Only 9 percent of plastic produced has ever been recycled. The remaining 91 percent ends up in landfill or leaching into our water as microplastics, which make their way into our bodies, the oceans, seafood, and soil.
While the book breaks down how to reduce waste throughout the home, here Cameron shares suggestions for how to set up a greener, cleaner kitchen. “The easiest way to reduce kitchen waste is to prevent it from even entering your home,” she writes. That means nixing anything that can’t be reused in near-perpetuity: plastic and paper bags, food that comes in boxes, tubes, or tubs, as well as sponges, paper towels, and plastic bottles of soap and detergent.
Lily Cameron’s Tips for Reducing Waste
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Zero-Waste Pantry
When in doubt, label it. Rice and pasta are easy to identify at a glance, but jars containing hard-to-identify items, like baking powder and flour, might benefit from a label.
Decant it. Buy dry goods in bulk using cloth bags, then transfer into jars at home. For messy-to-decant items, like sugar and flour, bring jars to the store to fill directly.
Stock the staples. Having staples such as grains, legumes, and nuts is handy for last-minute meals and snacks during a busy week.
Shop your pantry. Plan meals around the items in your pantry to free up storage space and minimize food waste.
Keep it visible. Storing pantry essentials on open shelves in glass jars makes it a cinch to see what you’re running low on so you can add it to your grocery list
Prevent pests. Storing foods in airtight latch-top jars helps prevent spoiling and pest contamination.
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Zero-Waste Refrigerator
Organize by theme. To keep your food tidy and accessible, organize sections by theme. The top shelf is mostly breakfast items, the middle is leftovers and snacks, and the bottom and crisper are for whole and partially-used produce.
Make a fruit basket. Place fruit in a basket or bowl at eye level so it is more likely to be seen and consumed.
Keep it clear. Storing foods in transparent glass containers makes it easier to see what you have at a glance.
Line your drawers. Keep crisper drawers tidy by lining them with folded tea towels. Then add loose fruits and vegetables for plastic-free storage.
Stick it in water. Keep asparagus and carrots crisp by placing them in a jar of water.
Hydrate greens. Store delicate greens and herbs, like lettuce, dill, and cilantro, in a cotton produce storage bag. The bag keeps produce hydrated and crisp while wicking away excess moisture.
Wrap it up. Preserve half a melon or avocado with a beeswax cloth wrap instead of plastic wrap or a disposable bag.
FIFO. Practicing the first-in, first-out rule: Place older and perishable foods like yogurt and leftovers toward the front so they’re less likely to be forgotten.
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Zero-Waste Kitchen Sink
Rack it up. Place a recyclable metal or wood dish rack on a cotton tea towel for drying dishes.
Declutter. A minimal countertop makes it easier to cook and tidy up.
Clean with copper. Use a copper scrubber to loosen stubborn bits of food from cast iron skillets and pans.
Keep it castile. Wash dishes and hands with Castile soap bought in bulk in a glass bottle.
Brush up. Clean dishes with a wood dish brush instead of a plastic sponge.
Grab a rag. Use a cloth rag to wipe counters after food prep and crumbs after meals.
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