How can I reuse or recycle pineapple leaves and skin?
We’ve had an email from Mina:
I love pineapples but I feel so guilty eating them! Not only about all the food miles involved but there is so much waste with all the leaves and the skin! Help me feel less guilty by letting me know what I can do with them!
Apparently you can re-plant the crown and make it grow new pineapples but it’s a difficult and slow process (two to three years or so) – it’s easier to keep it just as a fun house plant.
But if you’re eating a lot of pineapples, that’s not a scalable solution – so any other ideas?
Sounds like you could try to make them into paper if you had a mind to do that:
http://www.thailandqa.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3809
Compost.
They don’t compost very well.
Chop,dry and make a tea
I believe you can actually brew a tasty cider with the skin, simply refridgerate the skin in a large bowl of water in your fridge with some sugar and cover with a damp cloth. Delia strikes again!
you could buy canned from a company with eco-friendly policies…
i read from newspaper:
during summer time (day time), leave the skin in a car, close the windows, and leave it for about one day. it will make the car smell good.
You can make fruit enzyme using the same fermentation method and formula as the cider recipe. But don’t drink this enzyme — use it as an eco-friendly ‘liquid plumber’ to unclog sinks and toilets with, and for general house-cleaning. It may take longer to ferment due to the hard leaves and skin, though.
You can try making hand made paper or tea with the peeling or leaves. :)