7 Simple Ways to Reduce Food Waste and Easily Add Them to Your Routine

1. Scale Back Buying

• Make a shopping list before heading to the store and stick to it.
• Avoid bulk buying unless you’re sure you can use everything before it spoils.
• Plan your meals for the week, considering what you already have at home.

By purchasing only what you need, you reduce the likelihood of food spoiling before you can consume it. This not only minimizes waste but also helps you save money on unnecessary purchases.

2. Love Leftovers

• Designate a specific day each week for eating leftovers.
• Store leftovers in clear containers so you can easily see what needs to be eaten.
• Get creative with leftovers by incorporating them into new meals, like using roasted veggies in a frittata or making a stir-fry with leftover rice and meat.

Embracing leftovers ensures that all food you prepare gets consumed, significantly cutting down on waste and making meal planning easier.

3. Go Seasonal, Local, and Perennial

• Visit local farmers’ markets to buy seasonal produce.
• Learn which fruits and vegetables are in season and plan your meals around them.
• Grow perennial plants like asparagus, which can be harvested repeatedly without replanting.

Eating seasonal and local produce reduces the carbon footprint associated with transportation and storage. Perennial plants are often hardier and require fewer resources, promoting sustainable agriculture.

4. Eat Ends and Edges

• Use vegetable scraps and peels to make homemade stock.
• Incorporate stems, leaves, and other often discarded parts into soups, smoothies, or stir-fries.
• Try recipes that specifically use parts of produce that are usually thrown away, like carrot top pesto or beet greens sauté.

Utilizing all parts of your food reduces waste and can introduce you to new flavors and nutrients you might otherwise miss out on.

5. Freeze, Blend, and Soupify

• Freeze leftovers and surplus produce before they go bad.
• Blend fruits and vegetables into smoothies or soups.
• Prepare and freeze large batches of soups, sauces, and casseroles for easy future meals.

Freezing extends the life of food, helping you make the most of what you buy. Blending and souping up ingredients ensure that even items close to spoiling get used efficiently.

6. Organize Your Fridge

• Keep your fridge tidy and categorize food by type.
• Place items that need to be used soon at the front.
• Use clear storage bins to keep track of small items.

An organized fridge helps you keep track of what you have and ensures that nothing gets lost or forgotten, reducing the chances of food spoilage.

7. Reject Expiration Dates (except infant formula)

• Understand the difference between “best by,” “sell by,” and “use by” dates.
• Trust your senses; if something looks, smells, and tastes fine, it likely is.
• Use common sense and proper food storage techniques to extend the life of your food.

Expiration dates are often conservative estimates. By not adhering to them rigidly, you can reduce unnecessary waste. However, always exercise caution, especially with perishable items.

By integrating these seven tips into your daily routine, you can make a significant impact on reducing food waste. Each small change contributes to a larger movement towards sustainability, benefiting not just your wallet and kitchen efficiency but also the environment. Start today, and you’ll soon see how easy and rewarding it is to live a less wasteful life.