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5 Easy Ways to Prevent Food Waste

Monday, August 14, 2017
6:58 PM

Lately, I have been really kicking myself for the amount of food I have let go bad. I know there ways to avoid it; I know the impact it has on our environment. I also know that we are really blessed in America to have access to and availability of all this food, and yet I am taking it for granted.  I'm sure you have all heard that you can freeze almost anything, so that it doesn't go to waste. This usually is the first thing I see when I read about "how to make food last longer", or "how to save money on groceries." Today I'm going to discuss 5 ways to prevent food waste, that aren't just about using your freezer.
  
  1. "Repurpose" bread, and other food

We all think about upcycling and reusing material items, but how often do you think about using your food that is about to go bad in a different way than normal? When I was a kid, we would wait until we had a couple of heels of bread, or any bread that had gone stale and we would take it to feed the ducks at the park. It made for great memories and free fun! Don't forget though, that these ducks have more to eat than just bread, and you may not be the only one feeding them. They are still wild animals so be careful! Be sure not to leave any plastic laying around that they could choke on or that could blow into the water.
Kathryn at Going Zero Waste even has recipes for bread that is going stale. Of course keeping bread in the refrigerator makes it last longer, and freezing bread will allow you to buy in bulk without wasting, but actually using food and not throwing it away is what we should aim to do.

  1. Don't buy more than you need just because it's on sale.

Those key limes that are 5/$1. The hamburger buns that are 2 packs for $5. Do you actually need all of them? Will you actually eat or use them before they go bad? In my experience, the answer is usually no. I just bought 5/$1 limes a few weeks ago. I used two, and the other 3 turned brown and got thrown away. I needed two for a recipe I was trying and decided just to get all 5. Well, it turns out, I threw away 60% of that dollar. That doesn't seem like much now, but what if you had to throw that whole second bag of hamburger buns away?  That's $2.50 and still doesn't seem like much, however if you threw that $2.50 away twice a month for a whole year…that's $260 down the drain and 50% of what you spent on the buns in the first place. Not to mention the environmental impact. America wastes so much money just by buying things on sale. I know I waste probably twice as much as that hamburger bun scenario in a year. This year alone, I have let so much milk go bad I stopped buying it unless I need it to cook. In which case I buy only a pint. So this month try to reduce your spending, and your waste by only buying what you need.

  1. Try new recipes specifically with the food you have.

The other day, I had a brand new jar of salsa that hadn't been opened. There were two open jars in the fridge already. It wasn't about to go bad, but it had already been in the pantry for over a month and the other two jars were still pretty full. I decided to try a recipe that called for an entire jar of salsa. And it was amazing (3 Tyson boneless, skinless, chicken breasts in a crockpot on low for 6-8 hours, shred and serve in tortillas for chicken tacos). It also helped me get something out of my pantry without having to go shopping just for one meal. I didn't spend any extra money, and I didn't waste any food. I had leftovers for lunch at work.

  1. If you buy something you know will go bad soon, try to use it the same or next day.

If I buy fruit or vegetables with a specific meal in mind, I try to buy ones that don't look like they're already completely ripe. I also try to cook those meals within the week I buy them. The only thing that goes bad quicker than vegetables is meat. If I buy meat in bulk I make sure to separate and freeze it that day, leaving out only what I will need within the next day or two. (P.S. this genius tip is thanks to the month I cried over letting 5 pounds of meat go bad and vowed to never let it happen again)

  1. Try composting

This is something I haven't tried yet, because I live in a condo and haven't figured out how to get away with a compost bin on my porch. The HOA here is relentless. However, if you are able to, this is something that I would try in a heartbeat. You can check out some basics on composting by listening to this podcast from Stuff You Should Know. You can throw old lettuce in there, vegetable trimmings, egg shells, bread crumbs, hair (ew), nail clippings (double ew, but at least you're not collecting trash), and all sorts of other organic waste.  This can significantly reduce the amount of trash you're throwing away. The best part is, you can use it to enrich the soil your own garden or flower bed!

If you have more tips on how to reduce food waste, recipes you want to share, or any other general statements, let me know in the comments below! In the meantime, check out these other links about food waste too!



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