How to reduce food waste at home

More than 7.6 million tonnes of food is wasted in Australia every year1. This is enough edible food to fill the MCG 10 times, says Jenny Geddes of Clean Up Australia. “This wastage costs the Australian economy $36.6 billion per annum2,” she adds. The good news? Savvy households can learn how to reduce food waste, and save money.

How to minimise food waste

• Create a meal plan and use up leftovers before grocery shopping
• Do a regular pantry and fridge/freezer clear out using up staples before you buy more
• Grow your own herbs and store food correctly
• Explore composting options at home and in your local community

Make a meal plan

Shop with a meal plan and a list – no more impulse buys. “Planning will help manage your budget, make shopping easier and maximise foods that are high in nutrients, while also minimising wastage,” explains Jenny.

Use the food you already have

Do a periodic fridge and pantry clear-out, where you make a concerted effort to plan meals around overlooked staples, from the dusty pasta packets to the gifted jar of posh olives. Plus, you’ll really save on your grocery bill for a few weeks.

Buy the imperfect produce

About 10 per cent of food waste is linked to retail standards imposed on fruit and vegie growers, explains Jenny. The cultural pushback on this means even mainstream supermarkets now offer equally delicious ‘imperfect’ or ‘ugly’ produce’ for a cheaper price. Win, win!

Grow it yourself

Packaged produce often serves up more than we need – with a side of plastic, too. Herbs are among the top offenders; let perennial herbs like rosemary, thyme and sage live permanently in your garden, adding annuals like basil and coriander when in season, and snipping off what you need fresh on the day.

Keep it fresh

Store produce properly and by type to prolong its life. Monique Llewellyn of OzHarvest suggests wrapping herbs in a damp tea towel then placing in the fridge crisper, or trimming the stems and keeping in a glass of water on the fridge shelf. “Store leafy greens like spinach in a sealed container lined with a piece of paper towel, as this will absorb any excess moisture that can cause leaves to go slimy,” she says. “Put fruit in the crisper, except bananas and pineapple which produce a gas that ripens all other fruits. And store potato and onion separately in a cool, dark place with good airflow – never together, as onions release gases that make potatoes sprout faster.”

Is it off or not?

Take a whiff before chucking food and understand the difference between a ‘best before’ and ‘use by’ date. “Best before dates are a guide for when food is not of the best quality,” explains Jenny. “It may mean that food has lost some of its nutritional value, but is still safe to eat – use your senses to make sure it smells, looks and tastes fine.”

Eat all your veg

From herb stems to potato peels, a lot of the veg bits we chuck are actually major flavour players! “Use the whole food where possible; cauliflower and broccoli leaves are tender and tasty – roast them like kale chips or chop them into stir-fries and soups,” suggests Monique. “Carrot tops make a brilliant addition to pesto or chimichurri, while vegie scraps like onion skins, carrot ends, celery leaves and herb stems are perfect for homemade stock.”

Be inspired by leftovers

Make your meals work harder. That leftover roast chook is a homemade pie waiting to happen and you can boil the carcass for stock. Uneaten leftovers represent both the most frequently wasted food category and the most expensive4. “If you don’t eat everything, freeze it for later or use the leftovers as an ingredient in another meal,” suggests Jenny.

Leave no jar behind

Don’t let half-eaten food languish in the back of the fridge. Plan meals around those open jars of pesto and curry paste, and put older snack foods front and centre. “Create a ‘Use It Up’ shelf in your fridge for items that need eating first,” says Monique. Go one step further and label foods with OzHarvest’s Use It Up Tape, which is free from their website and Monique says is proven to reduce food waste by 40 per cent!

Turn scraps to soil

Create a little circular system by composting food scraps into nutrient-rich soil, in which you can grow more herbs and veg! Choose your own adventure based on your household – compost food waste bins work well in a garden while worm farms are great if you’re short on space. Or try a bokashi bin, which has the benefit of handling all types of food waste, including meat, dairy and leftovers.

Tip: Wear gloves and a mask when handling compost.

Explore your composting community

If you’re in an apartment without a garden, composting can be tricky, but community and council services may offer a solution. Some councils offer FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) kerbside collection. Community composting networks can also connect you and your scraps with composters nearby.

Keen to learn more about composting your food scraps?

Check out this guide to get set up with your very own compost at home. 

Some advertised services and products are not available at some Bunnings stores, but products can be ordered.

Sources:

• Australian Government: Reducing Australia's food waste
• FIAL: Reducing food waste
• Australian Institute: Food waste in Australia
• OzHarvest: Australian household food waste research https://www.ozharvest.org/australian-household-food-waste-research/
• Behaviour Works Australia: Food waste in Australia

Photo credit: Cath Muscat, Adobe Stock.