Have you ever wondered how much food waste you’re actually producing? You may not think that it is a lot, but you may be producing more waste than you realize. Don’t worry though, I will be going through a few ways to help reduce your food waste.
Why is food waste a problem?
While you may think that generating food waste only affects your wallet, it actually plays a significant role in landfill garbage. This then contributes to climate change, as food waste sits in the landfill and produces methane.
How do I reduce my food waste?
- Try freezing as much food as you can. This is such an easy way to help preserve your food. You could even freeze herbs like basil, mint and more.
- When you see an expiration date on your food, it is usually just a recommendation and most of the time your food can last much longer than the recommended date.
- Composting is a great way to create less food waste. By collecting your food waste and finding a new use for it, you are helping your garden and the environment at the same time.
- When buying food from the grocery store, try to only buy what you need.
- Learn how to preserve food. Canning, pickling, drying and fermenting are all great ways to preserve food.
- Learn how to properly store your food. Certain foods like onions and potatoes should never be put in the fridge. While foods like bananas and avocados produce ethylene gas, and should never be kept with apples, potatoes or berries.
- Be creative with cooking! If you have a few ingredients that may go bad soon, challenge yourself to use them in a recipe to create something delicious.
Benefits of reducing food waste
- It saves you money, as you aren’t over buying food at the grocery store.
- Saves energy by reducing the amount of waste that will need to be sent to landfills and incinerated.
- Reduces methane emissions and helps lower your carbon footprint.
