By: Lorenza Zebell
Q: How can I reduce food waste and prevent it from ending up in the landfill?
A: According to the Wisconsin DNR, our landfills consist of 14.5% food that would be traditionally edible, and 6% “food scraps” (like peels). This makes food the largest component of our waste stream. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization reports that if food waste were a country, it would be the third largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the world. According to the EPA Food Waste Recovery Hierarchy, preventing food waste in the first place is the most preferred option, feeding hungry people is next, and finally composting.
First, let’s talk about preventing those food scraps before they need to be composted. There are so many ways to do that! These are my favorite tips:
Meal Planning
- Try keeping a running list of meals you like, and the ingredients they use and then make your shopping list based on these meals.
- Look in your kitchen and try to avoid buying food you already have.
- Keep a well-stocked non-perishable pantry so you’re never left with perishable items you don’t have anything to pair with.
- Shop in smaller quantities to pair with your pantry, you will already have the base for the meal you want to make and can just pick up the fresh items.
Food Prep
- Eat very perishable items like lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, herbs, stone fruits, and berries first.
- Cook raw vegetables quickly as well – maybe even in larger batches to use in multiple dishes. I like to roast vegetables to use as sides, in salads, or on sandwiches throughout the week.
- Slicing and freezing bread, fruits, vegetables, and herbs is a great way to extend the life of foods that would otherwise go bad. If you think you won’t finish leftovers before they spoil, freeze them for later. Just make sure to label them!
Food Storage
- As some fruits and vegetables ripen, they emit a gas that accelerates ripening, which is why one bad apple really can spoil the bunch and why you shouldn’t store potatoes and onions together because they make each other go bad more quickly.
- Remove food like bananas, potatoes, or onions from their plastic bags to encourage airflow (or avoid getting the bag at the store in the first place)
- Keep fridge produce sealed in a container. I like to use silicon bags and glass jars.
- Store food so you can see it – out of sight out of mind really applies to your fridge. I put items like sparkling water in the drawers of my fridge instead of produce to make sure I can see what I have.
Reviving Old Foods
- Stale bread, if not too old, can be heated or toasted in a warm oven, turned into croutons or breadcrumbs, or used in soups.
- Greens that seem too wilted to eat can be crisped back up after 5 to 10 minutes in ice water, or blended with garlic, oil, and spices to make a spread or pesto.
- Cooked rice that’s leftover from takeout or last night’s dinner makes a perfect fried rice.
- Veggie scraps can be boiled to make broth.
Want more? Download our Ten Tips To keep Food Fresh and Ten Tips To Creatively Use Food tip sheets.
If you do end up with food you don’t need, the most preferred way to take care of it is to feed hungry people. 8% of Dane County residents are food insecure and those most affected are children, seniors, the disabled, and people of color. There are many places who need our donations listed here, just make sure you check what items they accept before you donate.
And then there’s composting! Composting reduces the harmful emissions food scraps produce in landfills and improves soil health. A simple way to compost your food scraps is to bring them to any of our Farmers’ Market Food Scrap Drop-Off locations. In addition to our Tuesday drop-off sites at the South Madison and Eastside Farmers’ Market, we just opened a third location at the Saturday Westside Community Farmers’ Market. This free program is open to all Madison residents. Our compost interns would love to see you there!
If you have the space, home composting can be as simple or as complex as you have the time and interest for. There are many ways to do it, but the bottom-line is don’t be intimidated, because it’s easier than you think. You only need a few basic supplies to get into it: a small container for the kitchen to collect scraps, something with good airflow to contain the compost outside, and a spot in the yard to put it. Beyond that, you can adjust browns, greens, water, and airflow to impact the composting process. If you’re interested in trying this at home check out this guide from the City of Madison on how to start composting.
Finally, for those who prefer to have composting services pick up from your home, you can choose from Sustain Dane member Green Box, as well as other options like Earth Stew and Curbside Composter.
