Eliminate Food Waste and Save Money on Groceries
Do you know how much food waste your household produces on a daily basis? On average, American households throw out more than a quarter of their food purchases. At the same time, research shows that nearly everyone produces more food waste than they think they do. Designed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with input from the West Coast Climate & Materials Management Forum, The Food: Too Good to Waste Challenge is an innovative community food waste prevention tool. The food waste reduction toolkit, which has been linked to a 25% reduction in household wasted food, is made up of simple strategies and tips to help individuals and families prevent food waste at home.
This toolkit can help you figure out how much food waste you’re really creating and what you can do to produce less food waste. Through making small changes in how you shop and prepare food, you’ll save money on groceries, save time, and produce less food waste.
These tips, along with the toolkit, which you can download here, will help your household reduce food waste and save money on groceries because by buying less food. Here’s how it works:
Measure: Spend the first 2 weeks measuring how much food waste your family produces. By using this handy measurement tool, you can accurately measure how much food waste you’re producing. This first step is important because it really allows you to physically see how much food waste you’re throwing away and how much money you could save on your weekly grocery bill.
Start Smart Shopping: Once you’ve determined how much money you can save on groceries by eliminating food waste from your household, it’s time to start practicing better habits. Only buy what you need though making a list with weekly meals in mind. By doing this, you help eliminate food waste, save money on groceries, save time, and eat healthier food. Because you’re not buying more than what you expect to use, you’re more likely to keep it fresh and use it all. Click here to download this handy shopping guide, which will help you plan out what you need to buy.
Use Smart Storage: Keeping your fruits and vegetables fresh is one of the more difficult things to prevent when trying to reduce food waste. Actually, fruits and vegetables are the most common types of wasted food. Store fruits and vegetables for maximum freshness; they’ll taste better and last longer, helping you to eat more of them. Learn which fruits and vegetables stay fresh longer inside or outside the fridge with our storage guide.
Smart Prep: Preparing perishable foods soon after you’ve purchased them helps eliminate food waste and saves you money on groceries. It will be easier to whip up meals later in the week, you buy only what you need, and you save time.
Smart Saving: Remember to stay mindful of your old ingredients and leftovers you need to use up. If you’ve got food that’s likely to spoil soon, move it to the front of a shelf or designated “eat now” area. Eliminate food waste in your house hold by clicking here to download the Eat Me First prompt.
Creating food waste is common in households, and it’s bound to happen to a certain extent. However, reducing the amount of food waste not only helps you save money on groceries, it helps
keep unnecessary food waste out of our landfills.
For more information, please visit http://westcoastclimateforum.com/food, or email the West Coast Climate and Materials Management Forum at westcoastclimate@epa.gov. The Forum is an EPA-convened partnership of state and local governments that develop and share ways to drive climate action through lifecycle materials management policies and practices.
Novak Sanitary Service is proud to be a resource to the community and your local leader in waste management. If you have any questions about residential or commercial waste services, please click here to email us or give us a call at 605-338-7126. With over 50 years of experience, Novak Sanitary Service is the Sioux Falls waste disposal company you can count on.
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