Did you know that over 25% of all food produced worldwide is wasted? Or that it’s estimated we in Ireland produce around 1 million tonnes of food waste every year? The average Irish household throws out over 150KG of food per year.
That’s a lot of wasted food.
There are a lot of ways food can be wasted in the household; like making portions too big, over-shopping, and letting groceries go out of date. Are you guilty of any of these?
Don’t feel guilty. Instead, let’s examine our tips on how we can reduce our food wastage and become more responsible in food disposal.
Food Waste Management Tips
Tip 1: Start a healthier diet
Don’t let your eyes be bigger than your stomach. Dish out realistic portions, and avoid overindulging and throwing out excess. There are plenty of online recipes with reasonable portion sizes explained. Even making one small change, like measuring out your food, can help in the long run.
Tip 2: Plan your meals
Have your meals lined up for the week. Only buy exactly what you need and avoid impulse buys. When you sit down and assess exactly what you need you’ll notice how inclined we can be to just buy without thought. Avoid impulse buying and overshopping – your wallet will thank you too!
Tip 3: Don’t judge a book by its cover
Don’t evaluate food purely by its aesthetics. Fruits and vegetables with a bit of bruising, once fresh, are still perfectly fine for consumption. Instead of throwing it away, simply cut off the parts that don’t look great, or throw it in a smoothie!
Tip 4: Store food wisely
Make sure older food sits at the front of your shelves ready to be used. Respect food storage guidelines to maximise shelf life. Shop with the “use by” and “once opened consume within” in mind – if you can’t use or freeze by the specified date or within the time frame, then you should consider buying produce with a later date or in a smaller quantity.
Tip 5: Compost
When food waste is unavoidable, dispose of it properly and COMPOST. Use biodegradable bags and compostable material to efficiently remove waste and contribute to our global duties in becoming more sustainable. Food waste is thought to contribute between 8 – 10% of global greenhouse emissions. If we can all make an effort to reduce excessive food waste, that’s one step closer to managing our waste for a greener future!
Allied Recycling endeavors to manage YOUR waste for a greener future. Click below to find out more about our composting and other waste services.
