Zero Waste Kitchen at College

By Ysabella Langdon

Americans annually waste 133 billion pounds of food. The kitchen can be one of the most wasteful rooms in the home, especially a college apartment. Between classes, work, and maintaining a healthy social life, a zero waste lifestyle can be overwhelming when a conscientious student is not equipped with the right resources and tools.

Below are resources and tools needed to start a zero waste kitchen at Ramapo College:

Step 1: Get Reusable Bags and Containers

Reusable jars and bags are essential to a zero waste kitchen and food shopping. Wasteful packaging liters our earth, but that does not have to be how you live. By simply bringing jars or reusable bags, you can save a lot of materials from going to landfill. Mason jars can be found almost anywhere, but you could also reuse an old peanut butter, pasta sauce, or jam jar.

Step 2: Shop at Local Farmers Markets and Coops

Shopping at farmers markets and coops make it easier to shop waste free. Typically these places have a wide variety of unpackaged, local goods. Great options near campus are Hungry Hollow and Ramsey Farmers Market. However, bulk sections can be found in just about any grocery store. There are pros and cons to both options, but it is up to you to choose what place is best for you.

Step 3: Plan Ahead

While planning ahead is an essential part to going zero waste, including bringing your own jars, utensils and bottles it can be incredibly hard for a college student to try and balance everything. Planning what you eat helps reduce the amount of food waste you produce. This in turn helps promote healthier eating habits because if you have delicious healthy meals prepared, there is no time for late night Ramen or McDonalds.

Step 4: Compost!

Just because you aren’t eating something, doesn’t mean that it has to be waste. Add it to your compost and let it go back to nature. Many are afraid to compost because they are afraid of the smell. To prevent smell, place your compost in your freezer and dispose of every week. Here at Ramapo College, compost is picked up weekly or you can drop it off at any of the on-campus gardens. Don’t know what to compost? Any food scraps except for meat.

Step 5: Recycle More, but Recycle Less

It is commonly thought that if one recycles that they are doing their part to protect the earth, however we should be moving toward a future that does not need unnecessary packaging. Recycling is great alternative when you can’t avoid materials, but if you can, refuse using any resources made of fossil fuels. This is how we can truly conserve and live our values in our day-to-day life. When recycling, make sure to clean your recyclables because one dirty item can soil the entire bin of recyclables.