With over a third of the red lidded bin consisting of food waste, food waste avoidance will make a big difference to the amount of waste going to landfill.
By avoiding food waste not only will you help the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions in landfill, but you will also save money. The cost-of-living crisis has highlighted the cost of food and revived methods of reducing food waste.
Oz Harvest observes that the top five most wasted foods in Australia are vegetables, bread, fruit, bagged salad, and leftovers. Find out more food waste facts at Ozharvest.
6 ways you can help reduce food waste in the home are:
- Check what you have in stock in your pantry, fridge and freezer before you go grocery shopping. This way you prevent buying too much.
- Plan your meals for the week. Planning helps reduce the number of visits to the supermarket and means you only buy what you need. Shop with a list.
- Store food appropriately and safely. Leftovers can be labelled and frozen for a night you don’t feel like cooking. Herbs can be stored wrapped in a damp paper towel in the crisper. Potatoes and onions can be stored in a cool dark place. Love Food Hate Waste has some great tips.
- Buy imperfect foods. The large supermarkets offer the option to purchase ‘ugly’ or imperfect produce.
- Compost. Food scraps can be composted or used in a worm farm. Check out how to compost in North Sydney. Alternatively, search ShareWaste to find where you can donate your food scraps to a community compost.
- Make use of leftovers. Find ways to make use of your leftover food. Making a soup is a great way to use up vegetables. Fruits can be stewed and served as desert or over cereal. Find more ideas at OzHarvest.
