Recycling in the Southern Kitchen

Long before recycling became popular with the masses, Southerners had been recycling products in their kitchen. It wasn't necessarily to help the environment. Many Southerners grow up poor and learn to make the most out of everything they have. This means reusing items until they are no longer usable. This means we recycle whatever possible. What others see as trash, or something to be tossed in the recycling bin, we see as useful. If you think you're the queen or king of recycling, read on, chances are you haven't even begun to take full advantage of what your kitchen has to offer.

Open a kitchen cabinet in almost any Southern kitchen and you may see some Tupperware or Rubbermaid containers, but there's also a chance you'll see Cool Whip, butter and other plastic food containers. Who needs to spend a fortune on plastic containers that might contain BPA, when you can get free containers from products you already buy? Best of all, you don't have to feel bad when these containers finally need to be thrown away. Just toss them in the recycling bin. No more worrying over stained, warped and otherwise ruined containers.

Another freebie you'll find in Southern kitchens is aluminum pie pans. These come from frozen pie crusts and store bought pies. They are useful for making homemade pies or in place of small baking sheets. When they finally become discolored, they too can be tossed into the recycling bin.

Milk jugs are one of the most underutilized items in most kitchens. Not in Southern kitchens though. Milk jugs are cleaned and used for homemade lemonade, sweet tea and even a container to store used cooking oil after cleaning the deep fryer.

Of course, bacon grease might possibly be the top recycling method in the South. While others throw away bacon grease, Southerners realize that bacon grease is like liquid gold. Not only is it an easy way to add flavor to beans, fried potatoes and other Southern favorites, but bacon grease has a long shelf life. It can be placed in the refrigerator or freezer and kept for several weeks.

Here in the South, we live by the rule, "Waste not, want not." We see no need to spend money on what we can get for free. Call us cheap, or what have you, but we take recycling to a whole new level. Many eco-friendly consumers could learn a lot from Southerners and we're willing to share as long as you are willing to listen without judging.