It might not seem like a big thing when you’re sitting at the dinner table, too full to finish the food on your plate but each one of those dinners, for each person in every household soon adds up! In a report by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), it is stated that as much as 30 percent of food, worth some US$48.3 billion, is discarded in the USA alone! But it’s not just food that is the issue here, again based on the USA according to SIWI, it’s the equivalent
of wasting 40 trillion liters of water, which is enough water for half
a billion people.
Steps to reduce food waste
- Sounds obvious but use fresh food first! Fresh fruits and vegetables spoil first so use them first, next up is refrigerated items.
- Leftovers aren’t a dirty word but they are if you don’t end up eating them! Make sure to place them in the forefront of the fridge so you actually use them!
- Do you have a black hole of refrigeration? We’ve all done it in the past finding a science experiment growing in a container at the back of the fridge. In our fridge we have a space on the top shelf for items due to go out of date and for leftovers. When preparing meals we go to this area FIRST so these items get used. It works, why not try it in your house too?
- Eat less? Cook less! Stands to reason, but if you’re the type of family that doesn’t eat leftovers then just don’t prepare as much food in the first place! If you don’t have as much food on the table then less ends up in the landfill.
- Compost! If you do end up having food waste why not compost? Anything non-animal related can be composted so why not try it? Great for gardeners too!
- Every few months do a ‘buy nothing’ challenge. You’re only allowed to eat from existing foods in the house (maybe and exception for fresh produce?). This allows you to use up foods in the freezer and cupboards to replace them later with newer versions if needed. This hopefully avoids those long life products spoiling or exceeding their use by dates.
- Meal planning really takes the headache out of shopping and food waste.
Food waste challenge
If you think you don’t waste food in your household then how about a little challenge? For one week/month why not save every food scrap that doesn’t get eaten? Anything leftover on the dinner plates, spoiled produce, out of date items in the refrigerator and cupboards, all these count, see how your household does each week. When we did this in our household it really opened our eyes to how much food was being wasted each week. Not only wasteful due to the environmental impact of producing food but also what a waste of money each week? Try it and see how your household fares!
Image source: UK food waste campaign
