Food Waste Reduction
*Information courtesy of Marion County Environmental Services
Did you know Americans throw away $165 BILLION worth of food every year?
All this food waste is bad for your wallet, and for our planet. Every time food is wasted, we're wasting the resources that went into producing it. According to the EPA, growing wasted food uses up a land area equivalent to the states of California and New York, combined, and uses enough water annually to supply 50 million U.S. households. Food production also generates significant greenhouse gases – while preventing food waste in the first place has 6 to 7 times the GHG reduction potential of diverting food waste from landfills.
Check out these resources for tips about how to prevent food waste. From storing food properly so it'll last longer to learning how to preserve fresh produce for later. And be sure to visit https://dontletgoodfoodgobad.org/ for additional information!
Tips for Meal Planning
Meal planning is a great tool to preventing food waste. While it can look intimidating, these tips can keep it helpful to you and your family.
- Plan based on your schedule – if you know you’ll be busy one night, try doubling a recipe to have two meals ready to go. Mark the days you’re going to eat out first, then plan the rest of your meals for the days that are left.
- Pick a day to go grocery shopping – having a time set aside to shop can help you stick to your list of what you need, and it saves time and energy when you’re tired at the end of the day.
- Don’t forget your leftovers – if you know a beloved meal makes a bunch of servings, schedule the leftovers into your meal plans.
Compost! Compost! Compost!
While the best way to prevent food waste to help the environment is to eat all your food, sometimes there’s scraps or extra bits that you can’t eat. Composting can take your food scraps and turn them into a valuable fertilizer for your soil and plants.
In Salem, Keizer, Stayton, Silverton, Turner, Jefferson, and Woodburn, residents within the city limits can put both food and yard waste into the yard debris/mixed organics cart, making it easier than ever to keep food scraps from going to waste. Doing this keeps your food waste from ending up in a landfill, and instead helps the local environment. Call your hauler to see if you have curbside compost offered in your area. Learn more at: https://www.co.marion.or.us/PW/ES/disposal/programs/compost
Mmmm, Leftovers!
Leftovers can be a great way to prevent food from going to waste, but not if you hate eating them. Consider looking at your leftovers as new ingredients rather than a repeated meal. Extra grains like rice or pasta can be turned into a new dish, and cooked veggies that started as a side dish can be turned into a delicious soup.
Leftovers don’t have to be boring – if you use them wisely, they can be a tool to save you time and money.
(Meal) Plan of Action!
Meal planning is a great tool to help you prevent food waste and save time during the week. While meal planning, try these tips to save some time and energy.
- Try themed days – if you love pasta, pick a day each week to make it. Taco Tuesdays are always a hit or pick a night each week to eat up all the leftovers in your fridge.
- Pick one new recipe each week – planning what you eat doesn’t have to be boring. Mixing a new recipe into your rotation keeps cooking interesting, but not as overwhelming as trying totally new meals all the time.
- Don’t be afraid to copy – if you have a go-to takeout meal, try recreating it at home. This can be a fun way to save money and try something new.
Tis the Season for Food!
Shopping based on what’s in season is a great way to get tasty food and prevent it from spoiling early. Check out this list of fruit and veggies that are in season in October.
- Apples
- Grapes
- Hazelnuts
- Melons
- Peaches
- Pears
- Broccoli
- Brussel Sprouts
- Cabbage
- Carrots and parsnips
- Cauliflower
- Corn
- Cucumber
- Eggplant
- Garlic
- Kohlrabi
- Lettuce
- Mushrooms
Buy it? Use it!
While trying to reduce your food waste, it’s a great idea to only make as much as you know you’ll eat. In doing so, you can end up with bits and pieces of food leftover. These leftovers are still good to use, but not if they get lost in your fridge.
Consider setting up an “Eat Me” box in your fridge to solve this problem. All those half veggies, extra cloves of garlic and almost empty bottles can be stored in one easy place to use before you open a new container or cut up a whole item. If you fill up the box, then you should have enough food for soup stock, broths, salads, or smoothies. Enjoy the food you buy and keep it out of the trash.
Additional tips:
- Check your fridge and pantry before going grocery shopping – you’ll save money by only buying what you need, and your food won’t end up in the trash.
- Consider using clear food storage containers – glass containers can go straight from the fridge or freezer into the oven. Mason jars are an inexpensive and airtight way to store goods. Clear containers make it simple to check what’s in your fridge.
- Keep a list of what’s in your fridge and freezer – making meals in advance is great for saving time and money, but only if you end up eating the meals. Having a visible list of what’s there is a helpful reminder to eat your prepped food before it goes bad.
