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Reducing your food waste

Reduce the amount of food you waste with advice, tips and planning.

Food makes up over a third of the average Worcestershire black wheelie bin and of this 69% was classed as avoidable. This means it could have been eaten in some form and includes things such as bread, pasta, potatoes, salad and vegetables.

Even more shocking was the fact that 45% of this was still in its packaging, so it had been bought and never even opened before being put into the bin – this includes meat, vegetables, salad, bread and potatoes.

Cutting food waste can save the average family £80 a month (source: WRAP) as well as help cut a household’s carbon footprint.

The Council’s food waste reduction campaign #FoodSavvy can help families cut their food just by planning their meals, storing the food correctly once bought and using up all the food.  For further information visit #FoodSavvy.

The three best ways to reduce your food waste is by planning, storing and eating all the food that you buy.

Planning

Tips on how to plan:

  • write a meal plan – not necessarily for every day – maybe 5 out of 7
  • plan lunches as well as dinner 
  • write a shopping list - a piece of paper or an app on your phone will do!
  • check what you have in the cupboards, fridge and freezer before going shopping – take a “shelfie” on your phone of what you have so you don’t over buy
  • buy foods that will be used for a few meals 
  • check your dates (Use By and Best Before) and make sure you use these foods first
  • don’t fall foul of the “special offers” in stores – ask yourself can I freeze it or cook with it? before buying it

Storage

Tips of how to store:

  • once you have bought the food, you need to store it correctly so it lasts as long as possible
  • know where is best to store your food such as potatoes, onions, bananas and fruit
  • keep your fridge at the right temperature (3°C-5°C) and items on the right shelves; the bottom is the coldest and it gets warmer the higher up the fridge
  • remember also the doors are always being opened so not the best place to store things like milk and eggs!
  • have a good selection of tubs and bag clips
  • now your dates: Use By is for safety and food should not be eaten after this date and Best Before” is for quality and food can be eaten after this date, but may not taste as good
  • have a good selection of dried herbs, spices, pulses and beans, noodles and pasta in your cupboard so you can rustle up a meal with minimal thought and effort
  • most foods can be frozen – even bananas!
  • buy FreshPods - add extra life to your fruit and veg for just £14 for a year’s supply

Eat what you buy

Tips to reduce food wate:

  • make extra to have the following day for lunch
  • batch cook food to use in other meals such as mince, onion for bolognaise or chilli
  • if you have vegetables that are looking a bit limp – make a batch of soup or a vegetable curry
  • once a week, have a fridge forage and see what you can cook up
  • having a good selection of spices and beans and pulses can make a few leftovers into something tasty
  • if freezing leftovers remember to label them to avoid “UFO’s (Unidentified Frozen Objects)
  • cooked too much rice?  don’t panic and throw it away – cool it down immediately, store in the fridge for up to two days and make a great egg fried rice with it

Useful links

Related

FoodSavvy

It’s time to get #FoodSavvy, tips to reduce food waste, save money and help the planet.

Community Fridge

A community fridge is a way of distributing food to everyone.