5 Simple Steps to Generate Less Food Waste
You can make a difference in five simple steps.
1. Buy Only What You Need
Avoid waste by shopping smarter: Plan ahead and make a shopping list so that you don't buy more than you can eat.
2. Eat What You Buy
Prioritize your meals to incorporate ingredients that may spoil and organize your refrigerator and pantry accordingly.
Also, try only to cook what you can eat so that leftovers are limited. If you do have leftovers, don't throw them out! They can be tomorrow's lunch or repurposed as a completely new meal in a day or two.
3. Keep Food Fresh
Take steps to store foods properly to keep them fresh as long as possible. For instance, rotating the food that will expire soon to the front of your refrigerator will encourage your family to eat it, or remind you to use those ingredients before they go to waste.
4. Don't Toss Food Before It Spoils
Perfectly edible food is often thrown away due to confusion about expiration dates set by manufacturers. When in doubt, use the sight and scent test; if the food looks spoiled or smells off, it's time to add it to your compost pile.
If food is nearing its expiration date and you don't have immediate plans to eat it, the easiest way to preserve it for another day is to place it in the freezer. Or you can try making stock, canning, pickling, dehydration, or preserving with fermentation.
5. If You Can't Eat It, Share It (or Compost It)
If you have edible food that you can no longer find a good use for, share it with family, friends or coworkers, or donate it to a food bank, food pantry or shelter.
Another option is to compost. Composting keeps food waste out of our landfills while providing you with a valuable soil amendment.
Check out our Backyard Composting Guide (PDF) for instructions on how to set up and maintain a composting bin or pile.