The United States discards more food than any other country in the world: nearly 60 million tons — 120 billion pounds — every year, which is estimated to be about 40 percent of the entire US Food supply. In fact, food is the single largest component taking up space inside landfills, making up 22 percent of municipal solid waste. The consequence of this decaying food is nitrogen pollution, which causes algae blooms and dead zones. Additionally, the water and energy used to produce all of this food is squandered.
We all can take small steps toward reducing the amount of food that is disposed of. Here are some tips that could help you reduce food waste in your household.
- Composting is an obvious option. There are new devices available that allow consumers to compost right on their kitchen counter with little to no effort.
- Save bacon grease. While it may seem odd to us, birds can benefit greatly from bacon grease. You can solidify it in a can in your fridge and then mix with suet, bird feed or seeds to attract some beautiful and fascinating birds.
- Mound used coffee grounds in a ring around garden plants to keep ants and slugs away.
- Don’t toss the ends of bread loaves; they deserve love too. Let them dry out and then turn them into breadcrumbs in your food processor (store in the refrigerator).
- Make potato crisps from potato peels in the oven. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and your favorite spices for a crispy healthy snack!
- Juice unused lemon halves into a container that you can keep adding to in your freezer. You’ll find it handy when you need a little fresh juice and you are out of lemons or limes.
- Infuse olive oil with leftover herbs. Rosemary, thyme and oregano make delicious gourmet oils that you can even consider giving as gifts.
- Store vegetable “waste” in a gallon-size freezer bag. Once it’s full empty into a pot with salt, pepper, and a bay leaf. Simmer 2-3 hours, strain and you have homemade vegetable stock!
One of the best ways to reduce food waste is to not have any. Consider making a weekly menu plan and shop only for those items. Freeze food that can be consumed at a later date and bring your leftovers to work for lunch. Your wallet will thank you for making more deliberate food purchases.
