The Three Rs in the Kitchen: REDUCE

The first of the three R’s is REDUCE for good reason – it’s much better not to produce and use something in the first place, than to work out ways to reuse it or recycle it after the fact.

So, how to reduce what’s coming into the kitchen?

• Use reusable grocery bags, preferably biodegradable cloth rather than heavy plastic or man-made fabrics
• Buy in bulk, using your own containers if possible
• Start or join a food-buying co-operative and buy in BIG bulk
• Grow your own food
• Buy unprocessed foods (and compost the compostable scraps)
• Store food in long-lived reusable containers (glass, real Tupperware, etc)

How do you reduce the incoming stuff into your kitchen? Let’s have your ideas in the comments.