Food upcycling (not recycling) refers to using ingredients that would otherwise have ended up at a food waste destination. Upcycling of food prevents food waste by creating new, high-quality products out of food surplus. Here are some great upcycling ideas to get you inspired!

Repurpose food waste into food

• Dry orange peels and add them to tea
• Transform stale bread into croutons or breadcrumbs
• Freeze overripe bananas for smoothies or use them as a natural sweetener for pancakes

Repurpose food waste into non-food items

• Make a natural cleaning agent with lemon peels
• Boost soil nutrients by grinding eggshells and adding them to your soil
• Use coffee grounds as body scrubs which helps in relaxation

Regrow food using scraps

• Grow spring onion or romaine from the stem

Maximise the shelf-life of food before spoilage

• Chop up herbs and freeze them in butter or olive oil
• Create frozen sauces using leftovers (e.g. Vegetarian Demi-Glace Sauce that is made up of veggie scraps)

Purchase upcycled groceries

Foods with irregular shapes or colours are often singled out as food waste because they are regarded as “imperfect” and “ugly”. However, such foods do have the same nutritional profile as the regular-looking ones! So, do support those companies that sell ”ugly” yet equally nutritious foods!