Here I go again - making my Weight Watchers vegetable soup, that 0-point staple that usually chases a second handful of caramel corn (9 points) and a third glass of white (6 points). I stand over the saucepan, eyes misting not from the onions but because my husband, the Al Gore of the household, bought this nifty widget to aid our composting.

It's nothing more than a mesh sink strainer that nets the carrot peels, green bean tips and cabbage rejects otherwise headed for the garbage disposal. The scraps collected in the sink are quickly transferred to the compost bin. You can pick up a sink strainer for under $3 at most hardware stores or at green product web sites. A steel version (above) will set you back about $7.

The soup may be pointless, but I give myself a "10" for sending those veggie scraps back to the garden.

Image: Chefs Catalog