Reducing food waste is one of the easiest ways to reduce our environmental footprints and there are simple actions we can all take at home.
Store food correctly to maximise shelf life. Simple ways to do this include ensuring your fridge is at the right temperature, freezing leftovers, and putting a paper towel in with salad leaves to absorb moisture. Did you also know you can store onions in pantyhose, and root vegetable in sand to maximise their lifespan?! Here are 25 tips to help your food last longer.
Compost leftovers. Some councils (including ours here in Footscray) have recently expanded the existing green waste service to include food waste. This service diverts half of local landfill to create nutrient rich compost.
Check your council website to see if your council offers one yet, or see the ultimate guide to home composting here.
Meal planning to optimise ingredient usage. A weekly meal plan does takes a bit of time to set up, but that effort is more than repaid during the week when your meals are streamlined, your shopping is done, and ingredients are optimised. It’s also a great way to save money. Here's a handy tool to get you started.