According to UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted each year. That’s enough to stack loaves of bread to the moon and back over 1,700 times! If you're looking to make your year more sustainable and reduce your environmental footprint, check out our four handy tips to minimise your food waste and take steps towards a greener lifestyle.
1. Create a Mindful Meal Plan:
Plan your meals for the week, make a shopping list, and buy only what you need. This helps in using ingredients efficiently, reducing the chances of overbuying and letting food go to waste. If this feels daunting, start by planning for just a few days ahead. You’ll be surprised by how far a little planning can go!
As an added tip, ordering your organic produce online can be a great way to get a visual of what you might need and help to overcome the overwhelm of the blank page.
Check out our super handy downloadable meal planning template.
2. Compost or Worm Farm
Instead of chucking your scraps and old veggies into the rubbish bin, why not give them back to Mother Nature? Start a compost bin or a worm farm in your garden.
Don’t have a garden or backyard? Find your local community garden and donate your compost to them.
Fruit and vegetable peels, coffee grounds, and eggshells are excellent candidates for composting. By diverting organic waste from landfills, you not only contribute to healthier soil but also play a role in reducing methane emissions associated with decomposing food waste.
Check out this awesome Composting Guide by My Food Garden for tips on how to make good compost.
3. Repurpose Your Scraps:
You would be amazed at how many ways you can utilise your food scraps. Vinegar can transform your citrus peels into an all-purpose cleaner, blending your eggshells can give your plants a dose of life-giving calcium, and vegetable scraps and leftover bones can be slow-cooked into a hearty broth or stock. The more you repurpose, the less you discard, and the more you contribute to sustainable living, and the possibilities are endless!
4. DIY Preservation:
Explore different methods of preserving such as pickling, making kimchi, kraut or a delicious berry jam. Freeze excess fruits for later use in smoothies or desserts. This is a great way to utilise an abundance of seasonal fruits and vegetables. These methods are easier than you think and DIY preservation not only reduces food waste but also allows you to savour the flavours of summer long after the season has passed.
Small Steps, BIG Impact.
These four simple ideas only scratch the surface of the many ways in which you can reduce your food waste. By incorporating even ONE of these ideas into your life, we guarantee you will be making a BIG impact on the health of our beautiful planet. By creating mindful meal plans, composting, repurposing scraps, and exploring DIY preservation, you can contribute to a more sustainable and eco-friendly community. 🌱👐
