Over on our My Zero Waste facebook community, I asked our wise and wonderful people what tips they would give to someone who was new to reducing food waste.
Here’s what they said:
Buy what you need
Only buy what you need. Lots of waste is caused by simply having more than you need.
Portion control
Sort out portion sizes…if you stop cooking too much food to start with then less will get wasted at the end of a meal. Find out what a normal portion for one person should be.
Menu plan
Menu plan (interestingly, some people swear by a weekly shop to reduce waste, whilst others say shopping every few days helps).
BOGOF
Be selective with BOGOF offers – some suit your household and are to your advantage, but many lead to waste.
Grow your own
Grow your own fresh food; you can even grow food in containers and large pots.
Use the freezer
Freeze leftover meats and veggies together in small containers and when you have enough ingredients stored, use them to make a quiche or soup.
CORN!
Hold a CORN night – Clean Out Refrigerator Now – Everyone gets to put together a potluck meal from all the bits left over in the fridge.
Sell by dates
Don’t pay too much attention to sell by dates; its nearly always ok to eat after this.
Use it up!
Have some favourite recipes on standby to use up things you regularly throw out such as bread, milk, eggs and fruit.
Reduce food waste
Get into the habit of having leftovers for lunch or supper.
Over to you – which tip is most helpful to you and please add one of your own!
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