Reduce your food waste with these 4 tips
Did you know that the average Aussie throws out 20% of all the groceries they buy? Not only is that hurting your wallet, but also the environment. Rather than letting food get mouldy in the back of your pantry or fridge, it’s time that we shopped, stored, and ate a bit smarter. While no one is expecting you to be perfectly sustainable overnight, here are some handy tips and tricks to help you get started!
1) Smart storage
Knowing how to store your food is a huge step to reducing your food waste, especially if you live somewhere that is hot and humid. Keeping pantry goods like rice, pasta, breadcrumbs and flour in airtight containers will help to keep them fresher for longer. Try to take fruit and veg out of their bags as soon as you can and keep them in your fridge crisper, whilst rotating them so that the oldest ones get moved to the front. Making sure to have a stocktake of your fridge occasionally can also help rediscover all the goodies at the back!
2) Grow your own herbs
Herbs are one of the most over-packaged products on the shelves at supermarkets. Luckily, if you have a window ledge, you can grow your own herbs. All it takes is a spare glass jar, yoghurt tub or garden pot and you can grow what you want. Most herbs grow easily and are quite resilient. Not only does this cut out a huge amount of plastic packaging, but it’s also wallet-friendly and hugely satisfying (I now consider myself a part-time farmer due to my flourishing parsley). The only thing to be mindful of is how much sunlight and water the plant is getting, as some herbs like basil can get burnt, whilst others like rosemary and parsley love getting a good tan.
3) Compost, compost, compost!
Worms love eating things like eggshells, fruit and veg stalks and banana skins. Most compost bins range from $50-$150 but you can always make your own. Not only does this get rid of unwanted food scraps, but also repurposes them into great gardening soil to grow those herbs! If you don’t have enough outdoor space to have a compost bin, try your nearest community garden. They often take food scraps so that they can compost it and grow food for locals.
4) The freezer is your best friend
Whether it’s saving that punnet of blueberries, those brown-looking bananas or leftovers from a few nights ago – the freezer is a lifesaver. Rather than letting food go to waste, it becomes the perfect pause button just waiting for you to be inspired to make that banana bread or have that curry from a few weeks ago. Then all of a sudden, you’ve got a ready-made meal to defrost on a lazy night or take to work the next day!
Ultimately, these are just a few tips that can help you improve food sustainability and are by no means a definitive list. Any step in this direction goes a long way to help create a more sustainable planet!
Written by Andrew Holland for Food Culture
