Ending Food Waste at Home

10 years ago, consumer-facing businesses were tied with our homes for the top contributors to food waste. The good news is that we’ve made a BIG impact on that. The bad news is that while awareness is rising, food waste in homes continues to be a big problem.

Do your own food waste audit! This can be really extensive or it can mean just getting real about what you are wasting. For example, do you always have half a pot of coffee left every day? That coffee you dump down the drain comes from beans that had an impact, Now tomorrow you need new coffee beans for your coffee. If you are consistently making 2x the amount of coffee you need, you are doubling the carbon footprint of your morning coffee!

Adjust your cooking and shopping habits based on your new found understanding of what you are regularly wasting.

Be mindful of how you are storing your food – produce in particular matters. It will spoil quickly if not stored correctly, and in some cases, drag its neighbors down with it! Be aware of what fruits and veggies produce ethylene and which ones are sensitive to it, because one bad apple really does spoil the bunch.

Learn the facts about date labeling so you aren’t throwing away perfectly good food erroneously.

If you have time, energy and get joy from it, you can experiment with waste free cooking! However don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Don’t berate yourself for not pickling those beet stems.

Compost your coffee grounds and food scraps. When you waste food – and we all do – composting will at least keep it out of the landfill.

Find tips that work for YOU. Everyone is different, so what may be a sustainable habit for some might not be feasible, accessible, or sustainable in the long run for you! Whether it’s putting labels on leftovers or taking out the drawers in your fridge, stick to the methods that work; otherwise, it can be a lot of effort with no result, and you are likely to abandon it!