We all love food, and try our hardest to make sure it doesn’t go to waste. But while we’re beginning to put a dent in the many kilograms of food wasted in South Africa every year, we are still left with all the glass jars, plastic tubs, metal cans, and paper that modern food arrives in.
Here’s how you can make small changes that are eco-friendly and will have a lasting effect on the environment.
Egg cartons
Cardboard cartons have loads of life left in them after the eggs are gone. They are perfect to start plant seedlings by adding soil and seeds, and when the seedlings have sprouted and are ready to replant, you can place them directly into the soil and the carton will gradually decompose and turn into soil. This type of egg carton can also be cut up and used as kindling when you want to start up your grill.
While it’s best to avoid Styrofoam egg cartons, they can be reused for holding small objects.
Dried goods jars
You can’t re-use the majority of store-bought glass jars for canning because the glass is not stable, and the lids are not safe for processing. However, they are perfect for storing dried goods, like nuts and dried fruits and vegetables.
Dessert container
If you love whipping up mouth-watering cold desserts like chocolate mousse and have guests over often, you could use tin cans as containers for your preparations. If the average tin can is too tall to hold your dessert, just cut each of the cans into half and paint or wrap them with a fabric of your choice.
So, when you serve your refrigerator-cold desserts, your guests needn’t struggle to hold the container as the fabric will keep their hands warm while they dig into the dessert.
Tin cans for baking
Who would have thought that you could use tin cans in containers as bakeware?
Tin cans can also be used as cookie cutters or baking pans for mini cakes. Tin cans are also sturdy enough to be re-purposed into mini cake stands where you can display small cakes and cupcakes. All you have to do is glue a painted can to the bottom of a matching plate with strong glue.
Nescafe Ricoffy tins also work very well on many things and we have recently seen a number of people sharing what they have done with their old Ricoffy tins.
Last year, the brand announced that its coffee beans are 100% responsibly sourced. And, as far as soluble chicory and coffee blends go, it is still the leader of the pack as far as sustainability goes.
Sustainability in Food
Many brands, including Nestle, are seeking to collaborate with expert partners and agricultural suppliers, in order to fully understand the challenges on the ground as this is where changes that drive transformation, transparency, and full traceability can best be implemented.
Early last year, the business executive officer of Coffee & Beverages at Nestlé SA Nicole Roos was joined by sustainability experts, Jackie May, Gisèle Wertheim Aymés, and trend analyst, Dion Chang in a virtual panel discussion.
They had a discussion on creating a global conversation around sustainability, re-purposing, and the importance of creating an environmentally conscious generation as well as gaining valuable insights from each panellist within their respective fields of expertise.
Ever since lovers of the brand have been supporting the sustainability approach by repurposing Ricoffy tins. Using the hashtag #NescafeRicoffyResponsiblySourced, consumers have been turning their coffee tins into beautiful crafts that they can use at home.
Take a look at some of them.
#nescafericoffyresponsiblysourced
— Erika De bruin (@erikadebruin23) March 10, 2022
I made a awesome giftboxes out of the tins@NescafeRicoffy pic.twitter.com/qQuQQTj7GK
DH Creative Kitchen knife and fork multi-function tin Holder#NESCAFERICOFFYRESPONSIBLYSOURCED pic.twitter.com/0sb736SPHv
#NESCAFERICOFFYRESPONSIBLYSOURCED Birdhouse pic.twitter.com/TytRUFe0qu
— Citizen of the world (@Bflucky) March 5, 2022