A few months ago, I was gung-ho about cleaning up the kitchen. Decluttering and throwing out was my mission. I literally pulled out every item in my fridge and cleaned all the shelves. In going through the fridge, I threw out any expired containers, moldy produce, or forgotten leftovers. Man, cleaning out really felt good.
However, later that day, it got me thinking. How much food am I really throwing out. While it’s not routine for me to toss that many things on a regular basis, it’s cumulative. An apple here, bag of carrots there, that bunch of cilantro, it all adds up. Not only was I throwing money down the drain, but also what was once perfectly good food. During that time, I stumbled on a shocking statistic. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 30-40 percent of the nation’s food supply is wasted. This means wholesome, nutritious food is being sent straight to the landfill. In addition to food being wasted, our nation is wasting labor, energy, water, and land resources.
While I wasn’t ready to jump on the zero-waste train quite yet, this statistic stuck with me. I started to be more mindful in my own kitchen. Each and every day, I was monitoring what went into my garbage can. I highly recommend you try this yourself. If the sheer volume of waste doesn’t blow you away, I suggest translating it into money. Think about that forgotten container of strawberries for $3.69, that bag of baby carrots for $1.19, those three old Greek yogurt containers for a $1 a pop. When the money starts adding up, the urgency to reduce food waste will surface.
I’m still far from perfect when it comes to reducing my food waste. However, I’ve been implementing a few strategies into my daily routine as a way to reduce waste. Read on to learn how to reduce food waste in your own kitchen!
How to Reduce Food Waste:
- Be Mindful – Consider what you will actually use throughout the week. I often find meal planning to be helpful. Sit down the day before you head to the grocery store. Write down your meals and the ingredients you need for each. This allows you to know exactly what you need on hand.
- Stick With the List – Go in with your plan and buy only what you need. This ensures that what you purchase will be used up during the week. If needed, make smaller, more frequent trips to the grocery store. For more meal prep tips, click here!
- Buy Locally, Buy Seasonally – Consider buying local or in season produce when possible. In season, local produce tends to stay fresh slightly longer. In addition, local produce utilizes less energy and labor resources to get into your fridge!
- Bulk Buy, Sometimes – Purchase shelf stable items in bulk. Bulk packaged foods tend to have less packaging and less packaging means less waste. One way I incorporate bulk buying into my routine is through large bags of dried beans. I throw a portion of the bag in a slow cooker during the week for ready to use beans.
- Freeze Up – Freezing is one of the best ways to save your produce. Sometimes life gets in the way and we forget about our fruits and veggies. If your produce only has a day or two of life left, I recommend throwing them in the freezer to use when you have time. One of my favorite things to store is peppers and onions. When you bring them home, chop them up and store in an airtight container. They won’t go bad as quickly and they are easy to grab for cooking. For more tips on freezing, this is a really great guide for preparing different fruits and vegetables for freezing.
- Recycle Scraps – Did you know scraps don’t have to end up in the trash. There are many ways to up cycle your unwanted scraps.
- Make Stock – Use old bits and pieces of carrot, potato, onion, or celery to make stock. You kind find a tasty vegetable stock recipe here!
- Let It Grow – Some scraps can be regrown at home! My favorite items being green onions and garlic.
- Savor the Flavor – Use apple peals to up your green tea game.
- Portion Control – Cook up what you need. Making food for two? Don’t serve up enough to feed a soccer team. Make enough for that meal plus a set of leftovers if need be (but only if you’ll eat the leftovers up).
- FIFO – For the less-than-business savvy readers, FIFO means first in, first out. Use this method to use up older food first. It helps to store older food towards the front of the fridge and newer towards the back.
- Donate – Have food you don’t want to use? Offer unspoiled, perishable or non-perishable food to your local pantry or donation center.
- Track It – As previously suggested, track your waste. Monitor what you are wasting and why. Use this information to make more informed purchases at the store in the future.
Have any more tips on how to reduce food waste? Comment below, I’d love to hear about them.
