Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you make a purchase through my link, at no additional cost to you. Please read the full disclosure here.
Food waste is a HUGE problem in the world today. It’s estimated that 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted globally every year. That is one-third of all the food produced globally for human consumption.
That number is extreme and not to mention way more than enough food to feed all the hungry people in the world. On top of being extremely wasteful and unnecessary, food waste is also terrible for the environment.
From the resources it takes to produce food (which is a lot) to the harmful gases it produces while in a landfill due to not being able to break down properly, it takes a huge toll on the planet.
That’s why doing your best to reduce your food waste is SO important. One of my favorite ways to reduce your food waste and that I always recommend and think is so important is composting! It helps prevent so much food from going to a landfill, and instead gets repurposed so that it can be used on the Earth again and again!
I have a really great post on How to Compost in an Apartment in 6 Different Ways that is really detailed and includes a bunch of statistics about food waste that I recommend you check out! It’s also really helpful for finding different ways to compost, which is, in my opinion, the best way to completely reduce your food waste! I didn’t include it in this post so that I could give you more different ideas on how to reduce food waste, but if you’re interested in composting then check it out!
Quick Navigation
- 1. Meal Plan
- 2. Make a Shopping List
- 3. Use What You Have
- 4. Check Your Pantry
- 5. Store Veggies Properly
- 6. Don’t Peel Veggies
- 7. Use Soft Veggies
- 8. Check on Veggies
- 9. Keep Bananas Away
- 10. Label Frozen Items
- 11. Regrow Veggies
- 12. Don’t Throw Out Stale Bread
- 13. Freeze Ripe Fruits
- 14. Pickle Veggies
- 15. Use Fruit Peels
- 16. Freeze Coconut Milk
- 17. Don’t do BOGO Deals
- 18. Buy Ugly
- 19. Make Jam
- 20. Support Local
- 21. Plant Jammer App
- 22. Food Waste “Journal”
1. Meal Plan
Writing weakly meal plans is a great way to start reducing your food waste! This way you’ll know exactly what you’re eating for the week and won’t make or buy food that will eventually go to waste.
2. Make a Shopping List
I always recommend making a shopping list before you go to the store, especially if you’re trying to cut down on your food waste. That way you buy only what you need and know you’ll use.
I organize my shopping list into different categories (produce, frozen, canned, etc.) which makes looking at your list and what you need way easier. Plus, most things in the same category are probably in the same aisle so you don’t have to roam around the store and pick up things that aren’t on your list.
Another tip to efficiently and quickly shop in stores is to look up the aisle number for each item beforehand. Trust me, this has made shopping SO much easier and keeps you focused on the items you need, instead of aimlessly shopping.
3. Use What You Have
Looking through your fridge every week or every few days will really help you keep track of what you already have and need to use up. Make sure you try to use everything before you buy something new and before it goes bad!
4. Check Your Pantry
As you check your fridge, you should also check your pantry! I know for me, a lot of the time I’ll forget I have something because it’s on the top shelf or all the way at the back of the shelf. Checking what you have at least once a week, or a few times a month, helps you take stock of what you have so you don’t get double and know what you still need to use up.
You should also look at expiration dates when you check these items and put the ones that are about to expire soon in the front so that you see them and know that you gotta use them!
5. Store Veggies Properly
Properly storing your veggies is KEY to keeping them fresh and tasting amazing! Since most vegetables go bad pretty quickly, I definitely recommend keeping your veggies where they are happiest.
This youtube video by Sweet Simple Vegan (I love them) shows you exactly how to store your veggies so that they last long enough for you to use them!
I also learned that you can keep herbs fresh by putting them in a glass of water to prolong their life. You could also finely chop them and put them in silicone ice cube trays with olive oil or water and freeze them!
6. Don’t Peel Veggies
Did you know that you don’t actually need to peel most of your veggies? Not peeling them will save you tons of waste. I know when I used to peel my veggies, that’s probably where I got half of my food waste.
You should also keep them on because most veggies have nutrients stored right under the peel, so it’s healthier too! Just make sure to scrub them well before cooking and they should be good to eat!
7. Use Soft Veggies
If you notice your vegetables have gone soft, don’t throw them out! You can still use them by making them into hummus or dips.
You could also bake them and add them to your meal for extra veggies!
8. Check on Veggies
As you are checking on things in your pantry, make sure to keep an eye on all your vegetables too!
9. Keep Bananas Away
I just learned recently that bananas and apples ripen the fruit and vegetables around them, so if you don’t want your veggies and fruit to ripen, you should keep them away. However, you could also use this as a little hack to ripen them faster if you need to use them soon!
10. Label Frozen Items
Another great tip is to label the items in the freezer so you know what date you put them there and the date that they are fresh. This way you can keep track of what you have and when you need to use them.
These are the labels that I use. They’re pretty and great for long-term use! You can keep reusing them by erasing what’s written on them and rewrite with chalk. I’ve had mine for about a year and a half and they still stick and work great!
11. Regrow Veggies
Before composting your veggies, you can use them till the end of their life by regrowing them first! You can regrow most veggies by cutting the root of the veggie and putting it in some water. It will start to grow roots and then the rest of the vegetable will start to grow.
You can read more about how to regrow veggies here!
12. Don’t Throw Out Stale Bread
If your bread or crackers go stale before you get to eat them, don’t throw them out! Instead, blend them and use them as breadcrumbs or put them in salads.
13. Freeze Ripe Fruits
If your fruit get ripe before you’re going to use them, freeze them! I LOVE freezing my fruits to make nice cream or different smoothie bowls. You could also defrost them and use them as toppings or blend the ripe fruits and make them into homemade fruit popsicles.
14. Pickle Veggies
Full disclosure: I have not done this yet. But I really want to! It’s really simple and a yummy way to eat veggies! You can make homemade pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, cabbage, and more! There are tons of recipes you can find online.
15. Use Fruit Peels
You can actually make your own cleaner at home with fruit peels! Just chop lemon or orange peels up and put them in some vinegar for a nice smell! Store it in a reusable spray bottle and keep it under your sink with your other cleaning supplies.
16. Freeze Coconut Milk
Whenever I open a whole can of coconut milk, I never use the whole thing. It’s a struggle because I don’t want to waste the whole can either. BUT did you know you can just freeze the left over coconut milk in little ice cube trays and use them in meals, smoothies, etc.? You got a freezer so use it!
17. Don’t do BOGO Deals
I know how tempting it is to fall for the buy one get done deals at the store. I mean who doesn’t want free food? The problem is, you almost never actually need two of that item, and more likely than not you’ll end up wasting it. I’ve seen this happen multiple times with friends, family, and I’ve even done this myself before when I thought I was going to eat all of it.
Sometimes, you just don’t need it, so do yourself a favor and don’t collect more food to go to waste. This is also a good reason why you should stick to your shopping list and only buy what you need, so you don’t end up wasting more food!
18. Buy Ugly
Buy ugly fruits and vegetables!! They are always the ones that get discarded and thrown out. It’s a huge waste, but it can be avoided if more people buy ugly and help prevent this! I know it takes some getting used to at first, but soon you’ll realize that it’s all the same and it really doesn’t matter how it looks on the outside. It matters what’s on the inside ;).
Also, if you do buy bananas, look out for the single ones. Those also tend to get discarded because people don’t buy single bananas.
19. Make Jam
You could also make jam or chutney out of the fruit or veggies that are about to go bad! I’m just saying… homemade jam is superior.
20. Support Local
Support your local community gardens and farmers markets! A quick google search will help you find any that are near you.
21. Plant Jammer App
Plant Jammer is an app that gives you recipes with the food items that you already have! It’s automatically vegetarian and allows you to choose allergy info so you can also make it vegan!
22. Food Waste “Journal”
I recently heard the idea of a food waste journal and absolutely love it! Basically, in your notes app on your phone or in a journal you have, reflect on food that you’ve thrown away and why you wasted that food item. This will help you become more aware of your behaviors and the reasons you throw certain things out so that you can avoid them in the future.
Thank You for Reading!
I hope you learned a lot and are ready to start reducing your food waste! I’m so excited for you and want to hear all about how you are working towards reducing your waste, so leave a comment below and let us know what you’ve done, what’s worked for you, and any tips or tricks you have!
With love,
Farah 🦋
