Reducing Food Waste

Did you know that the average Australian household throws out between $2,200-$3,800 worth of food each and every year?

Creating unnecessary food waste in the kitchen can be avoided, it just takes a little planning. With the tips below, you can help reduce food waste as well as saving your hard-earned money.

Just remember all your food waste can go into your green-lidded organics bin to be composted instead of your red-lidded general waste bin, which ends up in landfill.

For those without a green-lidded organics bin, home composting will help keep food out of landfill and provide you with a nutrient-rich fertiliser for your garden to help improve soil structure, maintain moisture levels, and keep your soil’s pH balance in check.

1. Cook from scratch. So much money is wasted on fancy packaging and convenience when we buy items from the supermarket. By planning to cook more from scratch you’ll be saving money and you can take leftovers to work or school the next day!

2. Cooking in batches and then freezing single-sized portions to use later on can save you hours in the kitchen as well as your energy and food costs. Not only that, but batch cooking also means you can plan to use your perishable items before they go bad.

3. Make a shopping list and stick to it. But also check the fridge and pantry first so you know what items you already have. That way you won’t over buy (or overspend) and you’ll cut down on kitchen waste by minimising the amount of food spoilage and tossing out less food.

4. Use reusable shopping bags. They’re great for trips to the store and they protect your fresh fruit and veggies from damage and bruising better than plastic bags, which means less waste.

5. Store your food correctly in your fridge and pantry, use your fridge crisper for fruit and veggies and store your pantry items in airtight containers.

You can download storage guides from the Love Food Hate Waste campaign HERE