20 Simple Ways to Reduce Your Daily Food Waste

Most people don't realize how much food they throw away every day from uneaten leftovers to spoiled produce. Even more surprisingly, much of the food that is tossed can actually be used to whip up some very creative meals. According to EPA, about 94% of the food we throw away ends up in landfills or combustion facilities. By managing our food sustainably and reducing waste, we can save ourselves some money, help keep retail businesses alive, provide a bridge in our communities for those who do not have enough to eat, and improve the state of the planet and economy for future generations. To start your journey of helping lessen the global food waste problem, here are 20 easy ways of reducing your daily food waste! ​

              

 ​  1. Shop Smart

• Learn how long different foods will last so they don't spoil before you plan to use them. (Refer to the Interactive Food Storage Guide). 

• Make a grocery list for the week and shop on a full stomach to avoid making impulse purchases. 

• Don't buy more of something just because it's cheaper to buy in bulk. However, do check out the bulk foods section where you can buy just as much or as little as you need.

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   2. Store Food Correctly​​

• Find out how to store fruits and vegetables so they stay fresh longer inside or outside your refrigerator. The Interactive Food Storage Guide is a great resource for you to identify whether certain food needs to be refrigerated or not and how long they stay fresh for. 

• Put new groceries in the back of your fridge or pantry, so you'll use older food first before it expires. For instance, if you bought an extra carton of eggs after noticing that the one in the fridge is running low, then put the older carton of eggs in front of the new carton. 

• Many fruits give off natural gases as they ripen, making other nearby produce spoil faster. Ethylene gas produced by certain food items promotes ripening and could lead to spoilage, which is why it's important to separate foods that produce more ethylene gas from those that don't to reduce food spoilage.

  • Foods that produce ethylene gas while ripening include:​

    • Bananas​

    • Avocados 

    • Tomatoes 

    • Cantaloupes 

    • Peaches 

    • Pears 

    • Green onions

• Keep these foods away from ethylene-sensitive produce like potatoes, apples, leafy greens, berries, and peppers to avoid premature spoilage. 

• Store bananas, apples, and tomatoes by themselves, and store fruits and vegetables in different bins. 

• Wait to wash berries until you want to eat them to prevent mold.

• If you like to eat fruit at room temperature, take what you'll eat for the day out of the refrigerator in the morning instead of leaving it out the entire time since it should still be stored in the fridge when you're not eating it for maximum freshness.

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   3. Learn to Preserve

• Pickling, drying, canning, fermenting, freezing, and curing are all methods you can use to make your food last longer, thus reducing food waste 

  • Ex: canning an excess of ripe apples and turning them into applesauce; pickling fresh carrots for a delicious and long-lasting treat ​

• These methods will help reduce your carbon footprint and save your money.

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   4. Don't Be a Perfectionist

• There's no need to rummage through a bin of produce until you find the most perfect-looking one. Though identical in taste and nutrition, so-called "ugly" fruits and vegetables get passed up for produce that looks more pleasing to the eye. The consumer demand for flawless looking fruits and vegetables has caused many major grocery chains to only purchase picture-perfect produce from farmers, leading to tons of perfectly good food that don't meet this cosmetic standard to go to waste. 

• So do your part by choosing slightly imperfect looking produce at the grocery store, or better yet, purchase directly from the farmer.

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   5. Keep Your Fridge Clutter-Free

• While having a well-stocked fridge is usually a good thing, an overly filled fridge can be bad when it comes to food waste. Avoid food spoilage by keeping your fridge organized so that you can clearly see your food and know when they were purchased 

• A good way of organizing the food in your fridge is to keep newer items behind older ones to ensure that older food gets used and not wasted

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   6. Save Leftovers

• Although most people save excess food from large meals, it often gets forgotten in the fridge and then tossed when it eventually spoils. 

• Storing leftovers in a clear glass container, rather than in an opaque container helps ensure you don't forget to finish your leftovers.

• If you happen to cook a lot and regularly have leftovers, designate a day to use up the leftovers that have accumulated in the fridge before cooking anything new to avoid throwing away food. Personally, I like to finish leftovers before making a ton of new food. Doing this saves you time and money! 

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   7. Save or Eat the Skin 

• People often remove the skins off of fruits, vegetables, and chicken when preparing meals, but the outer layer of produce and poultry contain so many nutrients. For example, apple skins contain a large amount of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. (I'm allergic to apples, but if you aren't, there's no reason why you shouldn't be eating or saving the peel). 

• Chicken skin is packed with nutrients as well, including Vitamin A, Vitamin B, protein, and healthy fats. Chicken skin is also an amazing source of the antioxidant selenium, which helps combat inflammation in the body. 

• The outer layers of potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, mangoes, kiwis, and eggplants, among many more food items, are also edible and highly nutritious. 

• Not only is eating the skin delicious, but doing so is also economical and helps reduce your food waste. 

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   8. Eat the Yolk 

• Those who avoid consuming egg yolk usually worry that eating foods high in cholesterol, like eggs, will significantly increase their cholesterol levels. However, studies have shown that in most people, dietary cholesterol only has a small effect on cholesterol levels. 

• Your liver makes the majority of the cholesterol you need and your body closely regulated cholesterol ​levels in the blood. When you eat foods that contain a high amount of cholesterol, your liver simply compensates by producing less cholesterol. 

• In fact, evidence shows that most people, even those with high cholesterol, can enjoy whole eggs risk-free. 

• Egg yolks are packed with nutrients, including protein, Vitamin A, iron, selenium, and Vitamin B. 

• If you don't like the taste or texture of egg yolks, you can add them to other recipes, like a dark chocolate mousse to mask the flavor. Egg yolks can even be used as an ultra-moisturizing hair mask.

• In any case, don't just throw away the yolk! 

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   9. Be a Seed Saver

• When carving pumpkins, don't just throw away all the seeds. Pumpkin seeds are tasty and packed with nutrients. They are very high in magnesium, a mineral that is important for heart and blood health and helps control blood pressure and blood sugar levels. 

• To save pumpkin seeds, simply wash and dry the seeds, then toss them with a drizzle of olive oil and some salt and toast them in the oven. The full recipe to roasted pumpkin seeds can be found on the Recipe page. 

• Acorn and butternut squash seeds can be prepared in the same way. 

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 10. Blend It Up

• Blending up undesired food scraps in a nutritious smoothie can be a delicious way of reducing food waste. 

• While the stems, ends, and peels of fruits and vegetables may not be appetizing in their original form, adding them to a smoothie is a great way to reap their nutritious benefits since you won't even be able to taste them! 

• The stems of greens like kale and chard are packed with fiber and nutrients, which make them great add-ints to a delicious smoothie. 

• Other items that would otherwise be discarded can also be included, including the tops of beets, strawberries, and carrots, fruit and vegetable peels, wilted herbs, overripe bananas, and chopped broccoli stalks. 

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 11. Make Homemade Stock 

• Making homemade stock is a very simple way to use up any vegetable scraps or leftover meat you have sitting in your fridge. 

• Sauté vegetable scraps, such as the tops, stalks, peels, and any other leftover bits that you accumulate when preparing vegetables in previous recipes with some olive oil or butter, then add water and let them simmer into an aromatic vegetable broth. Sautéing vegetable scraps is an optional step, but helps intensify the flavor.

• You can also use leftover chicken meat and bones in this broth. Just cook them with some vegetables, herbs, and water to make a delicious homemade chicken stock that no storebought version can ever beat! (You can even heat a little by adding a tablespoon of chicken bouillon). 

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 12. Liven Up Your Water 

• Frequently drinking water is super important in maintaining the balance of body fluids, improving the health and functionality of vital organs, and regulating your internal temperature, among many other biological reasons. After all, the human body is composed of about 60% water and aids in digestion, absorption, circulation, creation of saliva, transportation of nutrients, and maintenance of body temperature.

• Despite the fact that water is so essential for our health, many people don't drink enough of it simply because they don't like the flavor, or lack thereof. 

• Luckily, you can make water more flavorful while reducing your food waste! One of the easiest ways to increase your water intake is to make it taste good. Use peels or a slice of any citrus fruit, apples, and/or cucumbers to add a slight kick to your water. Wilted herbs and berry tops also make excellent additions. 

• After finishing your water, don't throw away the leftover fruit or herbs. Toss them into a smoothie for a zero-waste nutrition boost! 

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 13. Keep Your Serving Sizes in Check

• Overeating is a problem for many people. 

• Making sure your portion sizes stay within a healthy range doesn't just help keep your weight down, but also reduces your food waste. However, this does not mean you should undereat or throw away leftover food just because it exceeds a reasonable serving size! 

• While you may not think twice about scraping the leftover food on your plate into the trash, remember that food waste has a major impact on the environment. Instead, learn to cook or buy less food if you have a tendency to overeat, so you won't run into this issue. Or consider saving leftovers in the fridge for another meal. 

• Being more mindful of how hungry you actually are and practicing portion control are great ways to improve your health and reduce food waste. 

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 14. Get Friendly With Your Freezer 

• Freezing food is one of the easiest ways to preserve it. For instance, greens that are a bit too soft to be used in your favorite salad can be put in freezer-safe bags or containers and used at a later date in smoothies and other recipes. You could also save leftover vegetable scraps from food prep in previous meals in a freezer-safe bag and use them at a later date to make a vegetable stock. The recipe can be found on the Recipe page. 

• An excess of herbs can be combined with olive oil and chopped garlic, then frozen in ice cube trays for a handy and delicious addition to sautés and other dishes. 

• You can freeze leftovers, excess produce, and bulk meals like soups and chilis to ensure that you always have a healthy, home-cooked meal available. 

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 15. Understand Expiration Dates

• "Sell by" and "expires by" are two of the many confusing terms companies use on food labels to let consumers know when a product will most likely go bad. Unfortunately for consumers, the US government does not regulate the use of these terms. In fact, the task is often left to food producers to determine the date they think a product is most likely to spoil by. 

• Most food that has just passed its expiration date is still safe to eat. 

• "Sell by"is used to inform retailers when the product should be sold or removed from the shelves. 

• "Best by" is a suggested date that consumers should use their products by. 

• Neither of these terms means that the product is unsafe to eat after the given date.  

• While many of these labels are ambiguous, "use by" is the best one to follow since food that has passed the use-by date may no longer be at its best quality. 

• Still, you should use your best judgment when deciding whether food that is slightly past its expiration date is safe to eat. Personally, I wouldn't throw away something if it just expired or expired by a few days. 

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 16. Compost If You Can 

• Composting leftover food is a beneficial way of resuing food scraps by turning food waste into energy and nutrients for plants. 

• While not everyone has room for an outdoor composting system, there's a wide range of countertop composting systems that makes this practice easy and accessible for everyone, even those with limited space.

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 17. Pack Homemade Lunch

• Although going out to lunch with coworkers or grabbing a meal from your favorite restaurant may be enjoyable, it is also costly and can contribute to food waste.

• A helpful way to save money while reducing your carbon footprint is to bring your lunch to work with you.

• If you tend to generate leftovers from home-cooked meals, pack them up for a satisfying and healthy lunch for your workday.

• If you’re strapped for time in the morning, try freezing your leftovers in portion-sized containers. That way, you’ll have premade, hearty lunches ready to go each morning.

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 18. Don't Toss the Coffee Grounds 

• If you can’t fathom getting ready for your day without a hot cup of coffee, chances are you generate a lot of coffee grounds.

• Interestingly, this often-overlooked leftover has many uses.

• Those with a green thumb may be delighted to know that coffee grounds make excellent fertilizer for plants. The grounds are high in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which are nutrients that plants crave.

• Coffee grounds also make a fantastic natural mosquito repellent.

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 19. Get Creative in the Kitchen 

• One of the great things about cooking your own food is that you can tweak recipes to your liking, adding new flavors and ingredients.

• Including parts of foods that aren’t usually used is an excellent way to repurpose scraps when you’re experimenting in the kitchen.

• Stems and stalks make tasty additions to sautés and baked dishes, while garlic and onion ends can bring flavor to stocks and sauces.

• Whipping up a fresh pesto made with broccoli stalks, soft tomatoes, wilted spinach, or cilantro rather than the traditional basil is an inventive way to add a tasty twist to favorite dishes.

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 20. Pamper Yourself

• If you want to save money while avoiding potentially harmful chemicals found in some skincare products, try preparing a scrub or mask at home.

• Avocados are packed with healthy fats, antioxidants, and Vitamin E, which makes them a perfect addition to a natural face mask.

• Combine overripe avocado with a bit of honey for a luxurious combination that can be used on the face or hair.

• Mixing used coffee grounds with a bit of sugar and olive oil makes for an invigorating body scrub. You can also apply cool used tea bags or excess cucumber slices to your eyes to reduce puffiness.

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