Sustainability

How to reuse your kitchen waste – and use it to grow plants

Reusing onion tops

Onions are plants that you can easily grow yourself. Cut off about half an inch of the roots, put them in a flowerpot and cover them with soil. Keep the soil moist. Then sit back and wait for your onions to appear.

Onions

Growing green onions

To grow your own green onions, you don't even need soil. Simply put the roots in a glass of water and place them somewhere sunny, like a window. Change the water at regular intervals. The green onions will grow in the glass, and you can carry on recycling in the same manner.

ginger on dark background

Recycling ginger

Ginger is good for your health and is ideally suited to growing at home. Simply plant a piece of ginger root in a pot, cover it with earth and place the pot in a light warm spot, but not in direct sunlight. Keep the soil moist. Over time your own ginger plant will grow. The right time to harvest it is when the leaves turn yellow.

Grow your own basil

When you have picked off nearly all the leaves from an existing basil plant, you can regrow it and get a second plant. Simply put an approx. 10 cm stalk with leaves into a glass of water. Now, all it needs is a sunny spot and regular fresh water. As soon as it sprouts roots you can plant it in a pot with some soil. Keep the earth moist and you'll soon have a brand-new basil plant.

Recycling garlic peelings

From just one garlic clove you can grow a whole new bulb. Plant a clove (sprouted or not) about one-inch deep into a pot of soil–pointed end upwards. Place it somewhere sunny and keep the soil moist for your garlic sprout. Cut the plant back a little to encourage the bulb to form.

Follow these tips and you'll soon have your own little indoor kitchen garden – all from a few vegetable scraps.

Best wishes from your green-fingered Team Clean.