Food Waste Reduction
Uneaten food is approximately 30% of the waste generated in Anoka County; this waste ends up in a landfill. Instead of throwing food waste away, prevent it in the first place. Proper food storage, shopping with a plan for weekly meals, creatively using leftovers, and understanding the meaning behind food label dates are all easy things to do.
Even the best food waste reduction efforts cannot eliminate all organic waste from the kitchen. Recycling these organics into compost it best to recover nutrients back into the soil and save precious space in landfills. In Anoka County, you can do this by backyard composting or participating in an Anoka County Organics Recycling Drop-off or Curbside Collection Program.
More Than Just Food is Wasted
30% of the food we buy never gets eaten, ends up in landfills, and results in a loss of about $1,500 a year for a 4-person family.
The losses measured in our trash and wallets are just the tip of the iceberg. Land space, water, fertilizer, labor, packing materials, transportation fuel, and many other inputs have already been spent and cannot be recovered. Nearly a quarter of water consumed in the U.S. is used on food that ends up being wasted.
Follow The Extraordinary Life and Times of Strawberry to understand what it takes to get food from farm to fridge (and hopefully not your trash).
Why is Food Wasted and What Can We Do About It?
Date labels on food are inconsistent and confusing, causing 90% of us to throw away food too soon. Learn how to understand these date labels and extend the life of food nearing expiration here.
Grocery stores are designed and marketed in ways to increase consumption. Everyone loves a good sale and wants to try the new food item, but these impulse purchases and lack of planning prior to shopping can result in wasted food and money in the long run.
Learn how to meal prep, plan for your grocery trip, utilize ingredients you already have on hand and more at SaveTheFood.com:
- Meal prepping tips and plans that prepare you for your next trip to the grocery store
- Grocery shopping tips
- 10 Easy Tips for Meal Planning
- Interactive storage guides to make sure food lasts as long as possible at home
- Party planning calculator based on number of guests
- Enable your Alexa speaker to be your food waste fighting companion in the kitchen.
Many common kitchen scraps are edible and can be utilized to create more delicious meals. Turn your vegetable peels or meat scraps into stock, learn how to use bruised or browned produce, and more at SaveTheFood.com/Recipes.
Get curious about the commonly wasted food scraps in your kitchen. SaveTheFood.com is a great place to start, but the internet and social media sites are full of new ideas to utilize these overlooked ingredients. Discover new meals and have fun in the kitchen all while saving food and money!