In an age where 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted per year, food waste has become one of the largest crises of our generation. Although many people often associate greenhouse gas emissions with fossil fuels, every year, food waste results in 4.4 gigatonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. That means that per year, food waste is the third-largest producer of greenhouse gasses, following only the United States and China. With it being evident that food waste is a big problem, here are some strategies that you can use to reduce your food waste!
Especially during the pandemic, where it is extremely dangerous to go out and shop every week, it is vital that we save all the food we can. One strategy for doing this is saving your leftovers. Rather than throwing away half of your meal the next time you can’t finish your food, put your leftovers in Tupperware and store them in your refrigerator. If you don’t have a refrigerator, some meal ideas that you can save leftovers for without refrigeration, include noodles, sandwiches, soup, lentil-based curries, quinoa, and rice. By just following this simple strategy, you will be surprised at how much food and money you save!
Personally, I know that I have fallen for taking too much food on my first serving multiple times in the past. Though it may be tempting to take a large portion on your first time through your meal, many times we overestimate how much we can eat and end up wasting large amounts of food because of this. Instead, when you serve yourself food, take a smaller portion. This may be the recommended serving size for a meal or half as much as you’d usually take. By doing this, you will be able to finish your first serving and gauge how hungry you still are. Sometimes you may be stuffed, but if you still have an appetite, your first serving will help you understand how much more food you can still eat, ultimately reducing the amount of food that is wasted.
If you know that you regularly have lots of leftovers after a meal, an effective method you can use to reduce your food waste is composting. As opposed to throwing away your leftovers, collecting compostable foods in a bin can be used to enrich the soil, lower the amount of chemical fertilizer that is needed, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from landfills. Common foods that are great for composting include fruit and vegetable scraps, cooked rice and pasta, tofu, paper items, and many more. Even if you do not have the space to grow a full garden, there are many DIY countertop gardens that you can set up in your home. Doing so will allow you to reduce your home’s food waste and contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The next time you have leftovers after a meal, I hope you remember how that food could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and decide not to waste the leftovers! As mentioned in this article, effective ways of reducing your food waste include saving leftovers, limiting your portion sizes, and composting, but there are many other ways in which you can reduce your food waste.
One step at a time, we can battle food waste!
