Give food waste a second life

By Brianna Roe

Did you know food waste is the largest component in U.S. landfills? Between 30 and 40% of food in the United States is wasted every year, and most of this waste goes into the landfills.

There are a few things you can do at home to help combat the rising rate of food waste. Many items in your kitchen can be repurposed into natural fertilizers, food sources for birds or turned into compost.

Natural fertilizers

Coffee grounds are an excellent source of nitrogen for plants and soil. They can be directly applied to the plant or soil for a slow-release style fertilizer. Coffee grounds can also be mixed with water to create a liquid fertilizer.

Egg shells are a great source of calcium carbonate for plants and soil. To prepare the egg shells simply wash all the egg residue out of the shell and allow them to air dry or dry in the oven. Once the egg shells are dry, they need to be crushed. After the egg shells are crushed, they can be sprinkled into the soil and around plants, or placed in the bottom of the hole before planting.

Banana peels can be used for a source of potassium in your gardens. Peels can be buried directly into the soil with the plants, or made into a liquid fertilizer by steeping the peels into water.

Food sources for birds

Wild birds can eat leftover fruit. Before feeding fruit, ensure the seeds and pits are removed.

Instead of throwing out the spoonful of jelly at the bottom of the jar, place it outside for the birds. Many fruit loving birds will eat jelly; just be sure the jelly has no artificial sweeteners.

Pumpkin and squash seeds can be roasted and fed to birds as well. Birds also enjoy stale bread and cookies as a special treat. Some vegetables can also be fed to birds. They enjoy things like peas, cooked potatoes and sweet corn. Just be sure they are unseasoned, as some seasoning can make birds sick. Certain birds can eat meat scraps and cheese. Just ensure they are fresh with no mold.

Composting

Most fruit and vegetable scraps can be used for composting. Just be sure not to use items like meat, dairy and greasy food products in composting bins. Once your compost is ready, it can be applied to your gardens and flowers to improve soil health.

Before scraping the leftover food on your plate into the trash bin, think of ways it might benefit the environment by giving food waste another life. There are many other uses for common food waste that were not mentioned above. If you have any questions about repurposing food waste, please reach out to Guernsey Soil and Water at 740-489-5276.

(Brianna Roe is the agricultural technician for the Guernsey Soil and Water Conservation District.)