9 Ways to Reduce Food Waste Now
9 Ways to Reduce Food Waste Now
It’s Earth Month! Let the emphasis on loving Earth, swirling around with the Spring energy, motivate you to pick up several new Earth conscious habits. Did you know that nearly roughly one third of all food intended for human consumption in the US ends up in a landfill? A big area of opportunity for our modern world is eliminating food waste. Check out our 9 ways to reduce your contribution to food waste now!
Begin Composting your food scraps.
We love the Bamboozle Compost Bin that fits under your kitchen sink perfectly. Do research on your city because if you are lucky enough to live in the city of Los Angeles, they will pick up any compost you do not need in “the green bin” when picking up yard waste. Learn more here.
New to composting? Learn what you can and can’t compost here.
Store Herbs Properly
This was a major game-changer for me to avoid wasting herbs - and saving money in my budget, win win! Did you know most herbs will last up to 3 weeks when stored properly? The trick is to keep them in water, and air tight. I have created a contraption with mason jars and an old ziploc bag I had around and a rubber band to create an airtight seal. Another option, is to have this incredibly popular Herb Keeper in your fridge.
Cut + Freeze Your Fruit
And use it in a delicious smoothie or to make ice cream later. You want fruit to be at it’s sweetest point in a smoothie anyways, so just before it goes bad is the perfect time to chop up that brown banana and freeze it for later.
Save Your Savory Scraps
Keep a glass sealed jar in your freezer to throw the bits and ends of garlic, carrots, etc into. When it’s full, throw it into your crockpot or Instapot with water and spices to make broth. Broth can be stored in glass jars or be used for future recipes!
Post Food To Your Local Buy Nothing Group
I see this happening all the time in my local Buy Nothing Group. Maybe you bought something thinking you’d love it and, well.. it doesn’t work out that way? Somebody else will want it! Going out of town and won’t be able to finish your groceries? Post them in your Buy Nothing Group! No joke, I’ve seen that happen. No food needs to go in the trash.
Say Yes to a To-Go Box
If you accidentally order too much food - we’ve all done it - don’t let it be thrown away! How can you use some of the leftovers to spice up your next few meals? Even leftover bread on the table can be used for french toast or shakshouka the following morning!
Juice + Freeze Produce
Purchasing a juicer is definitely worth it. I’ll either drink the juice right away or freeze it into ice cubes to toss into a smoothie later. Or, juice the citrus going bad and create ice cubes for cocktails. this weekend!
Buy Less at a Time
While this may not be possible for everyone, if you are close to a grocery store or farmer’s market, or maybe pass by one on your way home from work try to plan to purchase less food 2-3 times/week. I used to make the mistake of buying everything on Sunday, and making it last the week. By Thursday I was pretty over what I had and things were going bad leaving me with not much left for the rest of the week. But when I switched over to a Sunday and Wednesday grocery trip (still with the same weekly grocery budget) and noticed more excitement for my food AND less waste.
Go Through Your Pantry
It happens often that you have that “can of soup that will last forever.” But they do in fact have expiration dates. Once a month, set an appointment to go through your pantry and plan to either Donate or follow one of our recommendations above to avoid it completely expiring!
Don’t want to look in your pantry? Pantries can get overwhelming. We can easily get you the pantry of your dreams in one day! Take that off your to-do list and let us do it for you. Schedule your consultation today!