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Recently, I’ve been learning a few food waste reduction tips to be more conscious about how my lifestyle at home is contributing to climate change. These are small steps I can make to be more sustainable. When it comes to food waste in the U.S., an estimated 30-40% of the U.S. food supply ends up in landfills. One of the biggest contributors are from our very own homes. We waste 80 billion lbs of food from households each year. That’s over 200lbs per person ending up in landfills.
Food Waste Impacts More Than Just Landfills
Climate Change: When we throw food away it ends up among the already massive piles of rotting food in landfills. But why is this such a bad thing, other than the obvious problems? Well, it turns out that landfills contain rotting food have become the third largest producer of methane in the United States. As invisible gases like methane and carbon dioxide trap heat in the earth’s atmosphere, the growing methane production in landfills is directly contributing to the increasing severity of climate change in the world. It has gotten to the point where food waste is as much a danger to the environment as greenhouse emissions produced by cars.
Waste of Water Resources: It isn’t simply the food that we throw away prematurely that is going to waste. We are also wasting all of the resources that go into producing the food, especially water. It is estimated that agriculture consumes 80% of the country’s water. So, with an estimated 30-40% of the U.S. food supply wasted by households each year, that also means that the water used to produce this food is also going to waste. With over two million Americans living without secure access to safe drinking water, this is an issue that we all should be invested in to become better.
Food Insecurity: Do you know that 35 million Americans, including over 10 million children experience food insecurity? And yet, we still waste $218 billion each year in the form of food waste in the United States. While this issue continues to grow from multiple different angles you and I have the ability to alleviate some of the food waste that goes into landfills instead of hungry children’s bellies. It starts with actions from our very own homes.
Simple Ways You Can Avoid Food Waste
Personally, I like creating a weekly meal plan to help me map out the ingredients and quantities that I need for my meals. I find that this helps to avoid buying excess ingredients that will only live in the back of my fridge until I realize they’ve gone bad. I know that Lindsay, the founder of this site, cleans out her fridge weekly and makes a veggie soup with left over produce that’s about to go bad. Both of simple food waste tips we practice in our home.
Store Properly & Food Lasts Longer
Do you know which fruits and vegetables to put into the fridge or which ones to place in water? Knowing simply storage tips can help your veggies stay firm and fresh longer.
Onions: If you’re buying loose onions hang hang them in old pantyhose, with a knot separating each one. This keeps them cool and dry, and lets just enough air in to keep them fresh.
Leafy Greens: Rinse them under fresh cold water when you bring them home. Then, wrap your produce in a dish towel and store in a sealed container. You can re-use takeout containers or invest in glass storage containers that can be reused too.
Potatoes: These should be stored in a dry place, away from sunlight. However, if you find your potatoes continue to sprout and go bad, add 1-2 apples to the group and that will help you keep your potatoes fresh.
Broccoli and Asparagus: Store these vegetables in the fridge standing upright in a bowl or jar of fresh water. This will stop them from drying out and going bad too early.
Bananas: Store your bunch of bananas on the counter top with the stems submerged into a bowl of fresh water. This will keep your bananas from getting spotty, but be warned that the stems will get a little mushy the longer they sit in the water.
Strawberries: If you find that some (or most) of your strawberries are bruised, soak them in a bowl of ice water and watch your sad strawberries transform back into the bright and firm fruit we all love.
Avocado: if you don’t use a whole avocado, squirt with a few drops of lemon and store in the fridge. This will prevent it from browning and will help make it last a few extra days.
Get Scrappy With Food Scraps
If you don’t have the time or space to start your own veggie patch, you can still make use of food scraps. Simply freezing your scraps until you have enough to make your own veggie stock is one food waste tip. It’ll save you from buying stock from the grocery store and gets multiple uses out of the vegetables that you do buy.
Another tip is to try your hand at composting. Despite what you might think, composting is a simple and easy way to avoid throwing food items in the trash. You don’t need a massive composting station in your yard to be able to effectively compost. You can re-purpose a medium sized storage container, or purchase a size that suits your space. Use your compost to boost the plants in your house or garden, or to help get you started on your own veggie patch. Line your composting bin with a reusable bin liner to reduce your plastic consumption, or just to save yourself time cleaning out the compost bin.
Bananas: We know that bananas are rich in potassium when we eat them. But banana peels also have a lot of valuable nutrients that can be used to boost your plants or home garden. I found this simple trick to use the nutrients in banana peels to give a quick boost to my house plants. Simply soak your leftover banana peels in water for 1-2 days, and pour that water onto your plants for a quick boost of nutrients.
Apple Core: You can use leftover apple cores to create your own home-made apple cider vinegar. Simply place them in a sealable glass jar, fill with white vinegar and let it sit for 2 weeks before straining out the liquid into a reusable glass pump bottle. I keep my own batch of home-made apple cider vinegar on my bathroom counter in a reused squirt bottle. I love to use it as a natural toner to clean my face of dirt and sweat before showering.
Orange/Lemon Peels: You can create your own multi-purpose cleaner from leftover citrus peels. Just place peels in a sealable glass jar, fill with white vinegar and let it sit for 2-4 weeks. Strain out the liquid and transfer to a reused spray bottle, or customize your own glass spray bottle for easy cleaning for all your home surfaces.