5 Ways to Reduce Food Waste at Home
Tips for saving time, money, and our planet
We talk a lot about food waste. In fact, it’s kind of our whole thing. But what is food waste, how does it happen, and how can you make a difference?
Food waste refers specifically to food that has made it through the production process and is fit for human consumption, but is wasted at the retail or consumer level. This could be grocery stores throwing out their deli items at the end of the day, or you tossing that slimy kale in the back of your fridge.
About one-third of all food produced for human consumption is thrown away.
As food decomposes, it releases methane, a greenhouse gas. What are greenhouse gases? They are gases in the Earth’s atmosphere that produce the “greenhouse effect,” a process wherein these gases trap heat from the sun on Earth’s surface—similarly to how a greenhouse traps heat throughout all seasons to provide a welcoming environment for its leafy inhabitants. However, we are not plants, and our planet is not a greenhouse! These gases are responsible for the slow warming of the Earth—which you are familiar with as global warming or climate change. Methane in particular is about 25 times more harmful than carbon dioxide, the most commonly produced greenhouse gas.
It’s important to acknowledge that a lot of food waste—probably the majority—happens on a retail/manufacturer level. To change that fact, we rely on activists, lobbying, and all that good stuff. However, we can make changes in our personal lives to help reduce food waste on an individual level.
5 ways that you can reduce food waste in your own household, not just for the benefit of the planet, but also for your wallet:
1. Donate
This is the most obvious solution. However, many food pantries or other charities that accept food donations will only take canned/shelf-stable items. What do you do if you need to offload some produce or something already opened?
Ask your neighbors! Community is an important cornerstone of sustainability. Maybe your next door neighbor could put your wilting spinach to use. It might be a strange offer to make out of the blue, but if you develop relationships with your neighbors, you open the door to a beautiful world of mutual aid!
Additionally, look into community fridges in your area. These places will not typically accept open or used items, but you can bring any fridge and freezer items that you need to offload.
2. Reduce,
Do you often find yourself with one random ingredient that you purchased for a recipe, only to use a teeny tiny amount of it? And now it’s just sitting in your fridge, going bad, while your meal plan moves on.
We always recommend meal planning by ingredients. If you’re going to make shrimp alfredo one night, then you should plan more recipes that will use similar ingredients—like shrimp tacos or poke bowls. Or if you find a recipe that you want to make that uses one fancy ingredient that you have no idea what to do with otherwise, research more ways to use it! This way, you can save your money and time spent at the store by utilizing it in other recipes.
3. Reuse…
The easiest way to reduce food waste is to ensure that you use all of your food—even the scraps.
The most straightforward recommendation is to turn your veggie and meat scraps into broth by boiling them with water and spices (keep an eye out for an upcoming blog 👀). However, all sorts of food scraps can be repurposed in fun and exciting ways. The next time you find yourself with a weird amount of leftovers or some veggie stems, think about how you could reuse them in a new meal or ingredient!
4. … Recycle!
Another way to use your food scraps is to compost them. This can be easier said than done, especially if you live in an apartment or somewhere without a yard. However, many brands make countertop composters that allow you to reduce food waste without having the whole setup. If you’re serious about reducing your food waste at home, it’s worth looking into.
5. Only Buy What You Need (and What You Can Use)
Finally: only buy what you need, or what you can reasonably use, at the grocery store. This is another recommendation that is easier said than done. If you go shopping with a loose idea of what you want to eat, you might end up without all of the right ingredients, or with things you end up never using.
One common misstep is over-buying produce. Most fresh produce goes bad very quickly, especially if stored improperly. Always research how to best store your produce and buy less than you think you need. You can always get more if you run out, but you can’t turn back time and de-mold those strawberries.
Next time, try planning your meals with Faba. You’ll walk out of the grocery store with only what you need. You can save the recipes you want to make for the week, add them to your cart, and adjust by serving size. So no more aimless wandering, overspending, or return trips to the grocery store. Just use Faba!
An “Us” Problem
Ultimately, food waste is a global problem happening all around us, every day. While we might not be able to solve the issue overnight, we can at least ensure that no food is being wasted in our own kitchens. So the next time you’re about to throw something out, or making your bi-weekly grocery trip, think about how you can utilize these tips. You won’t just be reducing your own food waste, but also guaranteeing that your money and all of the work that went into producing, processing, transporting, preparing, and storing that food won’t go to waste. Be kind to your wallet and to the planet and let’s #endfoodwaste.
Ready to eliminate the meal planning mental load for good? Download Faba to help put your #nowaste plan to action. Because life's too short to spend it wondering what's for dinner.