5 EASY WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR FOOD WASTE
August 2023 in Money Matters
Did you know that food waste costs the Australian economy around $36.6 billion each year? Over 50% of this derives from households, with an average household throwing away $2,000 – $2,500 worth of food each year.
But just a few simple changes can make a big difference!
PLAN YOUR MEALS
Planning your meals for a week is a great way to prevent yourself from buying too much food and ensures a healthy, varied, and nutritious meals throughout the week. Coordinate your meals to maintain a diverse and nutritious diet.
EAT UP YOUR LEFTOVERS
Utilise your leftovers for your next meal. Options include:
• Freezing leftovers and reheat down the track.
• Eating leftovers for lunch not only reduces food wastage but also saves money on store-bought lunches.
• Get creative and transform your leftovers into new dishes i.e. turn cold roast chicken into a delicious chicken sandwich.
STORE YOUR FOOD.
Are you bored with buying food only to have it spoil and be thrown out? Here are a few ways to prevent that from happening…
• Buy only what you need for the week.
• Store greens wrapped in paper towelling in a plastic container in the crisper drawer.
• Rotating your food and prioritise using older supplies first.
• Keep potatoes and onions in a cool and dark place and they’ll keep for way longer.
• Keep food fresh after opening, by storing leftovers an airtight container.
COMPOST YOUR FOOD
Did you know that only 23% of Australians compost or recycle kitchen or food waste? Setting up a compost bin in your backyard not only helps reduce food waste, but also reduces methane gas production. Even your fruit peels can be saved.
GET CREATIVE WITH YOUR LEFTOVERS.
Unleash your creativity and culinary skills to create fantastic meals from your leftovers including…
• Making soup stock using vegetable scraps and peels.
• Using stale bread to make croutons for soups or Caesar salad.
• Transforming roast chicken bones into a flavourful chicken soup.
