Reducing Food Waste in Your Home

Reduce Food Waste in Your Home

Before you leave home to shop:

Plan menus.
Check your calendar to see what meals you’ll actually need & have time to cook.
Know what you have on hand, so you won’t buy duplicates.
Check for leftovers you can repurpose.
Make a list.

At the store:

Don’t shop when you are hungry.
Bring your list (and reusable bags).
Stick to your list. Don’t be distracted by sale items and specials.
Buy the amount you need. Larger size might cost less per unit, but not if you’ll throw out what spoils before you can use it.
Beware of Buy one, Get one free–It’s not a bargain if you waste some of it.
Best by/Use by/Sell by dates are used by manufacturers to measure the quality of their product and is not a measure of food safety. For more information go to: www.stilltasty.com/articles/view/5
Buy only what you can use before your next shopping trip or before it spoils.

Food handling at home:

Know the best methods of storing perishables. Precut and store prepared foods spoil more quickly. Buy only what you’ll use up within a day or two.
Keep food visible, especially perishable items.
Rotate your stock
Extra ingredients–Find a way to use them in another recipe.
Save and use leftovers. Repurpose for another meal or freeze for later use.
Have a special place or box in your fridge for food that must be eaten soon.
Use clear food storage containers and label them with contents and date.
Try not to overstuff your refrigerator and keep items visible.
Before a vacation use up what you can and buy only what’s necessary until you leave.
Holidays and parties–try not to buy more than you’ll need.
Think creatively–Are there substitutions that you have on hand to use instead?
Food containers, lunch bags, reusable sandwich bags, etc. are now available at many retail stores selling kitchen supplies.

Some food waste is inevitable, but you can keep this out of the waste stream with very little effort. And there are several different options, depending on how involved you want to be in the process.

Learn how you can compost your food waste at home.
Explore some alternative composting choices to help you keep your food waste out of the waste stream.
Watch “The Compost Story” youtube video recommended by Greg Smith, Superintendent at the Needham RTS

The bigger picture:

Consequences of overbuying–food waste and packaging end up in a landfill.
Your reduction of food waste will help your budget and have a positive impact on the wider community.
Your habits can teach others, especially the next generation of shoppers, to be mindful of food waste.

Facts and Figures

Natural Resources Defense Council Issue Paper, August, 2012. Dana Gunders, Wasted: How America is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill: nrdc.org/food/files/wasted-food-ip.pdf
EPA, Sustainable Management of Food Basics: www2.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/sustainable-management-food-basics#what
USDA, Economic Research Report Number 173, September, 2014. Coleman-Jensen, Gregory, and Singh, Household Food Security in the United States in 2013

Revised from a list by Nancy Sabella–Food for Thought Festival 2015–Accokeek Foundation, American Wasteland by Jonathan Bloom, Wellesley 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) Working Group, and GreenNeedham.org

Resources

Documents

Resources on the Web

	"Food Heros" - Boston-area organizations working on food rescue Living Green page on food rescue organizations
	EPA's food waste prevention tips Community food waste prevention toolkit. Check out ugly fruit and vege campaign
	Food Pantry at the Needham Community Council Help provide food for those in need by donating or volunteering at the Needham Community Council's food pantry
	Green Needham’s Reducing Food Waste program Green Needham’s 10/22/15 program, "Too Good to Waste: Creative Solutions to Reducing Food Waste"
	Love Hate Waste UK’s campaign to end food waste. Excellent tips.
	Lunch Skins - reusable lunch bags Some Lunchskins products are available at Container Store, Target, and Amazon
	RecyclingWorks Massachusetts RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts is a recycling assistance program designed to help businesses and institutions maximize recycling, reuse, and composting opportunities.
	Still Tasty - Your Ultimate Shelf Life Guide Keep it or toss it? How long do specific foods last; storage tips for fridge and freezer.
	Sustainable America A project of Sustainable America. Check out their “Resources” link
	U.S. Food & Drug Administration Website on Food Waste U.S. Food & Drug Administration Website on Food Waste
	WasteWise Wellesley Town of Wellesley’s 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) Working Group's information on food waste reduction projects.

Books and Videos

Gunders, Dana. Waste Free Kitchen Handbook, Chronicle Books
Bloom, Jonathan. American Wasteland, DaCapo Books
You Tube: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Food Waste (HBO) and other videos