Waste Not Want Not
We all have those Tupperware containers full of leftovers that we will eat tomorrow for lunch. But then the boss comes in with tacos for the office and who can say no to that? So, last night’s lasagna ends up in the trashcan under your desk. Food waste happens. For some of us, myself included, it doesn’t seem like a big deal. We are lucky and privileged enough to not have concern over where our next meal is going to come from and therefore don’t feel guilt about throwing out some slimy pasta. If we don’t see it every day, it is easy to forget that many people lack that form of stability in their lives and live day to day not knowing if they will be able to have a meal. But food waste is much more than just a humanitarian cause, it is also environmental.
The food we throw out ends up in landfills. In fact food waste is the largest category of material dumped into landfills in the United States of America. In those landfills, our discarded lasagna rots and produces methane gas. Now, I am sure we have all heard of methane but just as a reminder it is a greenhouse gas that is more potent than CO2. Additionally, when throwing out food we are wasting the time, energy, and resources that were required to grow, transport, produce, package, etc. that food. All in all, that little slice of lasagna can be a big hit on our planet. To mitigate these effects, we can work on being more conscious consumers in the grocery store and at the dinner table by doing the following:
· Don’t go food shopping hungry. This may sound strange at first and you may be surprised this is bullet point number one. But speaking from experience, I purchase wayyyyy more food at the store when I go prior to eating. Everything looks good, everything smells good and therefore, I must have it. My cart is overflowing with things that were not on my list and therefore if I am being honest with myself, probably won’t get eaten and (shocker) will end up in the trash.
· Make a list/plan. I’m probably borderline neurotic when it comes to planning out my weekly food shop. I map out all my meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and try to plan meals that use similar ingredients. Basically, if my lunch meal prep requires half an onion, I plan a dinner that also requires half and onion and therefore ensure that entire onion is used and eaten during that week.
· Shop local/seasonal. I love avocados. But I live in Pennsylvania and avocados most certainly are not indigenous here. That means the avocados I see in the store were grown elsewhere then shipped to my local supermarket chain’s warehouse. From their the produce manager at my specific branch ordered X pounds of avocados and they were then shipped from the warehouse to my hometown. Now if some spoiled in all that traveling? In the trash. If some got squashed or damaged? In the trash. If they sit on the shelves and aren’t purchased in time? In the trash. That long journey increases the probability the food will end up in the trash before even entering someone’s shopping cart. Plus, all the emissions and resources that were required to get that delicious avocado from the farm to my table is huge. Shopping local and in season 1. Supports local farms and agriculture and 2. Will lessen transportation and processing emissions. I highly recommend finding your local farmers’ market. Going to my farmers’ market is the highlight of my week if we are being honest.
· If you must buy produce that is not local, buy individuals. Like I said, I love avocados. I also love bananas. Neither of these are local for me. Scooping up all those random individual bananas ensures you get the exact number you want (going back to how I meticulously plan my shopping list) and ensures those singles are eaten. Most of the time grocery stores have to throw out the singles since when you go to the grocery store you usually aren’t looking to get only one banana (most of the time) you want a bunch. So when people break off that random banana it is kind a death sentence. Although I would feel better eating all local produce there are some days I just really want a banana or avocado and this makes me feel a little bit better about the purchase.
· Give your scraps a second life. There is a plethora of recipes out there that utilize food scraps. My personal favorite is to make homemade veggie broth. I freeze my veggie scraps until I have enough, then make my broth and freeze it for future use. Making your own broth will also prevent you from purchasing prepackaged broth thus reducing your single use plastic usage, so it is a win win. If you aren’t a broth user, you can compost. I know in apartment or city living this can be a challenge, but many cities have composting companies that will come pick up your scraps to take them to a larger compositing facility. You can also reach out to your local community garden and see if anyone there composts or would like to take your scraps for their garden. They also make all kinds of counter top compost containers you can invest in.
· Use your freezer. I’m sure we have all purchased our fair share of frozen veggies from the supermarket. So, why not make your own. If you have a garden overflowing with zucchini, chop them up and throw them in the freezer to add to a meal at any point (if you are feeling really fancy you can spiralize them for zoodles on a later date). Additionally, if you have some fruit that is starting to look a little worse for ware, throw it in the freezer for a future smoothie or cocktail. The freezer is a magical place I think most of us forget about and it can really prolong the life of our food.
· Eat your leftovers. It only seems right to end this how we started, talking about our day old lasagna that we threw out in favor of tacos. Leftovers are great, but they can also be boring and redundant. But consuming them instead of throwing them out is a great way to reduce your food waste. I know it is hard to turn down tacos but sometimes we have to look at the big picture.
~ Bonus: if you go out to eat and can’t finish your main course, box it up and take it home. If you don’t, it is 100% going in the trash. If you want to take it a step further, bring your own container for them to put it in. Just like you keep your reusable grocery bags in the car; add a Tupperware container for when you go out to eat. So many restaurant to-go containers are plastic or, heaven forbid, Styrofoam. Bringing your own eliminates the needs for these disposable containers and lets your half-eaten sandwich live to see another day. ~
Food waste is bad but it happens. Even following all these tips it will still happen. No one is perfect and food waste is a part of life but we can do our part to reduce it and consume more consciously.
