Reduce Kitchen Waste! 10 Ways to Use Up Your Cooking Scraps

Last Updated on March 21, 2025 by Veronica Sparks

Looking for practical ways to reduce kitchen waste? You’re not alone. More and more people are embracing green living and cooking from scratch, which naturally brings up the question—what do you do with all those scraps? From carrot peels to chicken bones, it might feel like your trash can sees more of your food than your plate does. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

The truth is, with a little creativity, those scraps can be transformed into flavorful broths, DIY cleaners, and even garden gold. In this guide, we’ll explore clever, eco-friendly ways to repurpose your kitchen leftovers. Whether you’re aiming for a zero kitchen waste lifestyle or just want to stretch your grocery budget further, these ten ideas will help you use every last bit.

1. Vegetable Waste and Meat Bones: Broths and Stocks

One of the simplest and most rewarding ways to reduce kitchen waste is by making homemade broths and stocks. Those bits you usually toss—the onion skins, carrot tops, mushroom stems, broccoli stalks, garlic ends, pepper cores, herb stems, and celery leaves—are loaded with flavor. Rather than discarding them, store these scraps in a freezer-safe bag or container. When it’s full, simmer the contents in water with a few spices and salt to create a rich homemade vegetable stock.

You can take it a step further by adding poultry bones and leftover parts like the neck, back, wings, or feet to the mix for a hearty homemade chicken stock. The same goes for beef bones or even ham bones—just make sure to roast them first for a deeper, more complex flavor. Not only does this method reduce waste, but it also gives your soups, risottos, and sauces an unbeatable homemade touch.

Related Article: Homemade Chicken Bouillon Powder: Make Your Soup Stock Last For Months

2. Giblets and Pan Drippings: Gravy

Giblets (those little organs that come tucked in your poultry) and flavorful pan drippings are kitchen gold when it comes to gravy. After roasting a chicken or turkey, don’t toss those brown bits in the pan! Scrape them into a saucepan with a bit of flour and broth (maybe some you made from the step above), and you’ve got yourself a rich, savory gravy.

The giblets—especially the liver, heart, and gizzard—can be chopped and simmered in water or broth, then added to your gravy for an old-school, deeply flavorful result. You’ll never look at gravy packets the same way again.

3. Meat Fats: Homemade Cooking Oil

If you’ve ever trimmed fat off a cut of beef or pork, you’ve probably thrown it away. Next time, save it. That fat can be rendered down into homemade cooking oil—also known as tallow (from beef), lard (from pork), or schmaltz (from chicken). Simply cook the trimmed fat over low heat in a skillet or slow cooker until the solid bits are golden and the liquid fat is clear. Strain it and store in a jar in the fridge.

Rendered fats add incredible flavor to roasted vegetables, fried eggs, and even baked goods. Plus, you’re honoring a nose-to-tail approach to cooking that minimizes waste and maximizes value.

4. Vegetable Leaves and Tops: Greens Powder

Don’t toss those beet greens or carrot tops—they’re packed with nutrients! You can dehydrate leafy leftovers from veggies like broccoli, celery, radishes, and even lettuce, spinach, and kale. Once dried, grind them into a fine homemade greens powder to add a nutrition boost to your smoothies, soups, or sauces.

Many root veggie tops are edible, and others, like green onion roots or romaine lettuce stubs, can be regrown in water and later replanted in soil. It’s a double win: you reduce kitchen waste and create an endless loop of free food.

Related Article: 5 Healthy Meal Replacement Smoothies (With Hidden Veggies)

5. Stale Bread and Loaf Ends: Croutons

Stale bread is not the end of the road—it’s the beginning of crispy, flavorful croutons. Cut those dry pieces or loaf ends into cubes, toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and your favorite herbs, then bake until golden. You’ve got perfect toppers for salads and soups.

Alternatively, blitz the stale bread in a food processor to make breadcrumbs. Store them in the freezer, and they’ll be ready anytime you need a coating for meat, a filler for meatballs, or a crispy casserole topping.

6. Citrus Peels: Homemade Cleaner

Citrus peels from lemons, oranges, and grapefruits smell amazing and have natural cleaning power. Instead of tossing them, use them to make a homemade all-purpose cleaner.

Fill a mason jar with citrus peels and cover with white vinegar. Let it sit for two weeks, then strain. Add a bit of baking soda for extra scrubbing power, and you’ve got a nontoxic, effective cleaner for your kitchen and bathroom.

It’s one of the easiest ways to reduce kitchen waste while eliminating harmful chemicals from your home—another win for green living.

7. Fruit Scraps: Jams and Preserves

Peels, cores, and slightly overripe fruit might not look appetizing on their own, but they can be transformed into delicious jams and preserves. Apple peels and cores can be boiled down with sugar and spices to make a quick apple jelly. Strawberry tops and bruised berries can be cooked into a small-batch jam. Even citrus peels can be candied or turned into marmalade.

Preserving fruit scraps not only reduces waste but extends the life and enjoyment of your fresh produce—something your future self will thank you for on a cold winter morning.

8. Herb Stems: Infused Oils, Butters, or Vinegar

Fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, parsley, and basil often leave behind tough stems after the leaves are used. But these stems still carry intense flavor and aroma. Add them to olive oil, melted butter, or vinegar to create your own infusions. Let them steep for a few days, strain, and voilà—you have a gourmet kitchen staple made entirely from scraps.

These infused goodies are perfect for gifting, marinating meats, or finishing dishes with a splash of flavor. You’ll never look at herb stems as trash again.

9. Coffee Grounds: Garden Fertilizer and Pest Deterrent

Don’t toss your used coffee grounds—they’re a garden’s best friend. Coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen, making them a great addition to your soil or compost pile. They can be mixed into garden beds or sprinkled around plants to enrich the soil and help retain moisture.

Even better? Coffee grounds are a natural deterrent for common garden pests. Sprinkle them around the perimeter of your garden to help keep away ants, snails, slugs, and even squirrels. The smell is a strong repellent for many critters, and as the grounds break down, they continue to nourish the soil. It’s one of the easiest ways to give your coffee a second life—and your garden a little boost.

10. All Kitchen Waste: Compost

When all else fails, composting is the final frontier of zero kitchen waste. Vegetable peels, coffee grounds, eggshells, tea bags, fruit rinds, and even paper towels (unbleached and unprinted) can go into your compost pile. Avoid adding meat, dairy, oil, or anything overly greasy, as these can attract pests and disrupt the composting process.

A countertop compost bin makes it easy to collect scraps and start composting. Over time, they’ll break down into rich, fertile soil for your garden. Composting doesn’t just reduce waste—it feeds the earth, literally.

Ready to Reduce Kitchen Waste?

When you reduce kitchen waste, you’re doing more than just cleaning up your cooking routine—you’re embracing a lifestyle that values sustainability, creativity, and resourcefulness. Whether you’re saving veggie scraps for stock, turning herb stems into infused oils, or giving citrus peels a second life as cleaner, each small step adds up.

Moving toward zero kitchen waste doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. It starts with being intentional and seeing the hidden potential in what you might usually throw away. So the next time you’re cooking from scratch, take a second look at what’s headed for the trash—you might just find your next secret ingredient hiding in the scraps.