How to Get Rid of Food Waste to Reduce Global Warming?

According to research, roughly 50% of food produced in the United States goes to waste. One reason? Expiration dates. While some foods do expire, others can last longer than the printed date on the packaging suggests. For example, milk that’s within its sell-by date may still have weeks or months left before it spoils.

There is a lot of wasted food globally

every year, 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted worldwide; one-third of all food produced for human consumption around 1.3 billion tons gets lost or wasted globally every year, according to a new report from FAO; Every region in Europe generates around 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of food waste per person every year, making it about 50 percent more wasteful than North America; UNEP estimates that at least 8 million tonnes.

Stop throwing away fruit and veg

Around two-thirds of food waste in homes occurs in our fridges or at room temperature, so one simple way to reduce food waste is by planning better. If you’re constantly throwing away fruit and veg that’s gone off, it’s time for a change. When shopping for your weekly shop, try only buying as much fruit and veg as you need. Take your list with you when you go shopping and stick to it – if something looks nice, buy it then but don’t add it on impulse. At home, try storing fruit such as bananas separately from vegetables such as onions and potatoes, which produce higher levels of gases (ethylene) that ripen other foods around them. Get More Tips From The New Daily Nation.

Save leftovers instead of binning them

Most people bin their leftovers, but you could be saving food and time by repurposing them. As a bonus, if you’re cooking extra meals each week so that you have extra portions for packed lunches or quick dinners, using up your leftovers will help reduce both food waste and your environmental footprint. Make sure they’re well heated through and serve up any leftovers in some bread rolls as a tasty treat later on in the week. It’s a great way to ensure nothing goes to waste.

Find alternative uses for leftover foods

If you’re concerned about food waste, don’t throw away your old leftovers. They’re often just as good when mixed into new dishes that you make later on. If you have half a sandwich, simply eat it over the next few days in new creative ways: add it to soup or stew, use it as a topping for leftovers or even crumble it up and mix it into your pasta sauce. And if you know that something will go bad before you can finish eating it—like fruit or vegetables then freeze what’s left Freezing keeps foods preserved for longer periods and is better than throwing them away.

Use up leftovers before buying new ingredients

One in seven American households throws away perfectly good food. This adds up to about $218 billion worth of unused food annually. Many times, it’s because people buy more groceries than they can eat before they go bad and end up tossing them. To reduce food waste and cut back on waste at home, make a point to use up leftover ingredients before you buy more. For example, if you had two steaks for dinner last night but still have one leftover today, make a quick lunch by slicing it into strips and throwing it on top of some salad greens. Or whip up an extra helping so that there are leftovers for dinner tonight—no need to hit up your local takeout spot.

Compost fruit and veg you can’t use

Instead of letting fruit and veg go off in your fridge, why not throw it away Well, not complete after all, you can’t simply throw away food. Instead, you should compost it. This process makes use of microorganisms that decompose organic matter and turn it into nutrients for plants and soil. In other words, once your food waste has been processed through a composter or backyard pile which can take anywhere from one month to six months it can be used as a natural fertilizer for your garden. Not only will using an outside composter reduce landfill waste but also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90 percent! So what are you waiting for? make more room in your fridge by adding some new scraps.

Freeze your fruit and veg as soon as you get home from the shop.

Many fruits and vegetables don’t last long before spoiling. For example, bananas and avocados are best kept in a cool room or refrigerator and will only last up to one week. If you’re planning on keeping your produce for longer than that, freezing it is by far your best option. Just make sure you separate any frozen pieces when storing so they don’t all end up thawing together; defrost them one at a time as needed. Not only will freezing extend the shelf life of fresh produce, but it also saves waste, and let’s face it, there’s nothing green about throwing food away.

Conclusion

The main issue with food waste is that it has negative impacts on many levels: environmental, social, and economic. By making simple changes in your shopping habits and cooking routines, you can reduce food waste significantly. Did you know that in 2012, families threw away £60 worth of food every month? It’s quite astounding how much we could be saving if we made small changes to our shopping routine. Try out these tips and see how much difference they make! You might be surprised at just how effective they are.