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It’s Zero Waste Week (September 7-11) and we’re showing you some nifty ways to waste less when you’re using eggs...

Use shells in the garden

Eggs are packed with calcium so they’re a great addition to your compost heap, or even crushed into planting holes. They also act as a pest deterrent. Slugs hate the pointy edges, so scatter crumbled egg shells liberally around your prized plants to persuade the slugs and snails to hunt elsewhere. You can even grow seeds inside egg shells.

Feed the birds

Crushed eggs shells can give a nutritious boost to birds during the nesting season. Mother birds often need more calcium in their diet. Sterilise your shells first in a 120C oven for 10 minutes. Crumble and leave on a bird table or mix with birdseed.

Get creative

Egg shells can be reused for all sorts of art work or crushed for mosaics. Check out our art blog for more ideas.

Freeze them

If a recipe only calls for a yolk or a white – preserve the other half by freezing it. It is best to freeze the yolks and the egg whites separately as frozen yolks can become gelatinous. When freezing yolks, add half a teaspoon of salt or sugar (depending on what you're going to use them for later) to stop them going sticky. Use frozen eggs within three months and make sure they are fully thawed before using for frying, scrambling and poaching. Check out our blog about tasty recipes for egg whites and yolks.

Be beautiful

Eggs aren’t just great for cooking up healthy meals, they also provide beauty-boosting ingredients for your skin and hair. Yolks contain lots of nourishing vitamins and lecithin, an emulsifier, which can cut through grease. Use them as a hair conditioner or a quick peel-off skin mask. You can also use egg shells as a natural alternative to a body scrub. Find tips and recipes via our #BritishBlueBeauty hashtag.

Don’t bin older eggs

Medium fresh eggs are great for omelette making and scrambling so don’t be tempted to throw them out too early. An easy way to check if an egg is still okay to eat is to fill a bowl with cold water and gently place the egg in the bowl. If it sinks and rests on its side, it is very fresh, if it sinks but sits upright it’s a little older. If it floats, it is medium fresh but still safe to eat.

Use up your egg water!

When you boil eggs, let the water cool and use it on your houseplants. They’ll have a nice drink but will also get a boost of calcium which is good for plant growth. You could even crush shells in water overnight and feed this to your hungriest plants.