7 Quick And Easy Ways To Reduce Your Food Waste
Banana peels, leftovers which have been left in the fridge for way too long, biscuits which expired last week, dry bread slices… I could go on and on.
Annually, 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted. In fact, a third of all food goes straight into the rubbish bin.
You don’t realise how much food you’re wasting until you stop to think about it – food waste has become a habit!
The truth is so much labour and effort is put into growing, packaging, and delivering the food to our houses, that when we throw it away, we’re also throwing away all this effort.
Here are seven easy ways to reduce your food waste:
1. Understand the difference between ‘Use By/Expiration Date’ and ‘Best Before’
‘Best Before’ literally means best before – you can eat it after the given date but it might not taste as good as you would have wanted it to. So no, that pasta sauce which ”expired” last month, might not have actually expired.
2. Don’t buy more than what you need
You’re walking down the supermarket aisle, and you get this urge to put everything in sight in your trolley – don’t. I know it’s tempting, but you’d just be wasting money and food – especially if it expires quickly…
3. Avoid cooking, or ordering too much food
Unless you’re meal planning, do not cook more food than you’d think you will consume. And although leftovers are sometimes a God-given gift – if you’re always cooking in huge quantities, you’ll end up with too many leftovers left… over…
4. Share extra food
Whether that’s giving your co-workers the rest of your wrap because you cannot finish it, or donating food you won’t be using at home – sharing is caring! It’s a win-win, people will get free food, and it won’t be wasted.
5. Make use of the compost bin
Composting turns rotting garbage into valuable soil enhancer. You no longer need to waste all the fruit/vegetable peels, stalks, skins, seeds, and other scraps.
6. Use the food you’ve still got
If you barely know anything about cooking, this might be a tough one – a chef could easily whip up a delicious meal with just a few ingredients. You? Not so much. Tip – salt, pepper, and olive oil can go a long way.
7. Store food appropriately
If you want food to last longer, you’ve got to store it well. Aside from that you’ll be avoiding food poisoning.
These tips will not only help you waste less food, but help you save some money and time as well. The bottom line is that even just a bit goes a long way. Every little bit counts.
What will you be doing to reduce your food waste?
READ NEXT: It Just Keeps Getting Better: The Epic Foodie Competition Grand Prize Gets Even Tastier
