Are you throwing out food that has spoiled in your refrigerator? Food waste is a growing problem that affects everyone. Around 90 billion pounds of food go uneaten each year. This totals $1 trillion a year. Here are some ways that can help you cut down on food waste, maximize your food resources, and contribute to a sustainable world.
- Meal Prep is Key
- Planning your weekly meals will help you stay within budget and avoid buying things you don’t need or might end up throwing out.
- Check out our meal prep post to learn more!
- Keep Your Pantry and Fridge Organized
- When you buy new groceries, store them behind older items in the fridge, pantry, and cabinets. Use older items first, so they don’t spoil.
- Keeping a clean fridge and pantry can extend the storage life of your food.
- Leftovers
- Freeze extra food to use at a later date. Reheat in the microwave for a quick meal when pressed for time.
- Overripe fruit, like bananas, can be added to smoothies or used to make banana bread!
- Make a broth with vegetable scraps, such as celery tops, onion and garlic skins, and carrot peels. You can then strain and use the broth to make soups, gravies, and sauces.
- Save the crusts off of bread to make bread crumbs, which you can later use to top your salad or bread fish.
- Freeze extra food to use at a later date. Reheat in the microwave for a quick meal when pressed for time.
Once you can no longer use food, try composting! Composting helps diminish food waste and is sustainable for the environment.
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- Compost food scraps such as apple cores, egg and nut shells, corn cobs, coffee grounds, and tea bags.
- Check out our post to learn more about composting
There are so many ways to get the most out of the food you buy. How do you minimize food waste?
