Let’s talk about reducing food waste
According to the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), the average household throws away more than $40 worth of edible food every week and more than a third of our red garbage bin, on average, is wasted food. Food waste is bad for our bank...
The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) reports that the average household throws away more than $40 worth of edible food every week, and more than a third of our red garbage bin, on average, is full of wasted food.
Food waste is bad for our bank balance, bad for the environment and a drain on resources. Some waste is unavoidable* including cores and peelings, bones, shells, pips and stones.
Food waste happens when we buy too much, cook too much or don’t store food correctly. The EPA’s Love Food Hate Waste program aims to prevent food waste, showing households and businesses how to avoid wasting food.
Love Food Hate Waste is an international movement that started in the UK in 2007, initiated by the climate action charity Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP).
What’s good for the environment is also good for our bank balance. Love Food Hate Waste lists six steps for reducing food waste at home:
- Know your waste – do a quick stocktake of how much of your waste is food, including plate scraps, leftovers and spoiled food, so you can compare your results.
- Plan your meals – by planning ahead a few meals or a week in advance you can assess what you have in the fridge or pantry and only buy what you need.
- Shop with a list, and on a full stomach – don’t forget to buy in season produce so it stays fresher for longer.
- Perfect portions – for the very keen, UK Love Food Hate Waste program has a handy portion size calculator. Alternatively, you can use the hand method available here.
- Keep it fresh – store food in appropriately sized airtight containers, minimising contact with oxygen. This applies to fruit and veggies as well as flour, grains and cereal. Find more tips here.
- Love your leftovers – there are so many ideas and tips out there for leftovers storage and ways of using them. If you plan correctly (see above) you may not have any, although you can plan to have leftovers in your meal plan. More info here.
The EPA is running a free education program called Food Smart. You can subscribe, complete an online survey, measure your food waste over two days, follow the Food Smart guidelines and then measure your food waste again to make your own discoveries and assist the EPA to further the cause.
Our own Food Fairness Illawarra has a heap of information about reducing food waste, including ways of using the whole vegetable or fruit, preserving in a glut, food storage and crop swapping, so check that out too.
*Most food items that can’t be repurposed in the kitchen can go into your home compost or worm farm. If this is not an option, use the council supplied FOGO service. This is available in Wollongong, Shellharbour and urban residential Kiama council areas.
