food waste dรฉchets alimentaires

9 Ways to Extend the Lifespan of Your Food AND How You Can Use Up Everything!

โžก๏ธย  ย Did you know that roughly one third of theย foodย produced in the world for human consumption every year โ€” approximately 1.3 billion tonnes โ€” gets lost orย wasted?ย (Recycling Council of Ontario)ย 


โžก๏ธย  ย And that the average Canadian household wastes $1,766 every year on food that they don’t consume?

โžก๏ธ.ย  And – that each year, food waste in Canada creates about 56.5 million tonnes of carbon-dioxide equivilent emissions? (Waste Reduction Week in Canada)

Having read these troubling statistics. We’re challenging YOU to take some simple and accessible steps to minimize your food waste this year!

abeego

TIP #1: Purchase Some BeesWax Wraps:

Yes, this is an upfront cost however, once balanced against the $1k+ thatโ€™s wasted annually per-household AND the amount of money youโ€™ll spend on single-use seran-wrap, the upfront fees incurred purchasing beeswax wraps (approximately $30 for a set of 4) donโ€™t seem too bad.

Hereโ€™s why beeswax wraps can help you in your food-saving quest:
๐Ÿ.ย  Unlike seran-wrap, beeswax wraps are breathable so food stays fresher, for longer.

Some more eco-facts about the merits of using beeswax wraps:
๐ŸŒŽย  ย Beeswax wraps last one full year. They are bio-degradable and can be tossed in your compost bin one theyโ€™re spent.

๐ŸŒŽ.ย  Theyโ€™re great for the environment. They reduce the amount of single-use plastics which can only be a great thing for our animals and the environment.

๐ŸŒŽ.ย  Theyโ€™re antimacrobial which keeps things clean.

๐ŸŒŽ They themselves are easy to clean, you simply wash them down with cold water and leave them to clean.

If youโ€™d like to hear more about beeswax wraps we recommend reading this blog post byย RAOG Business Member,ย Abeego.ย The blog is titled:ย ย How to Store and Save Foodย and itโ€™s written by Abeego Founder, Toniย Desrosiers. It provides some fantastic insight into the merits of using a breathable material to store your produce. To back up their point, theย Abeegoย team have even tested their wraps vโ€™s โ€˜nakedโ€™ produce storage and theyโ€™ve shared the results on theirย website.ย Itโ€™s definitely worth a read!

food waste

TIP #2: Store Produce Correctly:

What works for your tomatoes wonโ€™t work for your clementines and wonโ€™t work for your bread.

Look online to figure out the best ways to store produce to make it last longer โ€“ you can always leave a comment below for tips and pointers, too.

An example: Here are some ways to prolong the lifespan of your potatoes:
๐Ÿฅ”.ย  Keep your potatoes in a box, paper or mesh bag to ensure proper ventilation.

๐Ÿฅ”.ย  Pop an apple in with your potatoes.ย The ethlylene gas given off by anย appleย willย prevent potatoesย from sprouting.ย (stopfoodwaste.org)

๐Ÿฅ”.ย  ย Store your potatoes in a humid, dark and cool place (45 to 50 is the ideal temp for your spuds). Donโ€™t store potatoes in the fridge, theyโ€™ll turn starchy.

๐Ÿฅ”.ย  Check in your potatoes regularly to see how theyโ€™re doing. If one has started to sprout, remove it so it doesnโ€™t affect the others.ย  Keep onions away from your potatoes โ€“ they donโ€™t get along and will cause your potatoes to sprout early.

A fun fact: If stored correctly, potatoes can last up to 6 months.

You should also consider how you transport your produce home. Like saran-wrap, the plastic baggies provided in the supermarket donโ€™t let your food breathe alongside being incredibly wasteful! Start your produce-journey off right by investing in reusable baggies (likeย these).

eat me first fridge

TIP #3: Prioritize What Gets Used First:

โžก๏ธ.ย  If you have a large family, things get moved around in the frige and it can be hard to keep a handle on whatโ€™s going on in there.
Implement the use of aย โ€˜Use Firstโ€™ย basket and make sure produce on the cusp of turning get used first.

โžก๏ธ.ย  When you buy repeat cans (we all have multiple soups in our cupboards!) put newer purchases to the back and drag older buys to the front. Cans and dried goods do go bad afterall!

โžก๏ธ.ย  Store dried goods (like quinoa, beans and rice) in clear, labelled jars so you have a clear idea on what you have.

food scrap broth

TIP #4: Use Everything:

What would look like waste at a quick glance, can become an additional source of food and sustenance. Hereโ€™s how:

๐Ÿฅ•ย Have a โ€˜good scraps containerโ€™ in your fridge or freezer. When you have a good haul, boil them up and make your very own stock.ย  See how Green Act Business Member, theย Canadian School of Natural Nutritionย are highlighting the merits of bone broth as a fantastic source of nutrition. You can see a detailed bone broth recipe from CSNN Alumni, Andrea Brown:ย here.

๐Ÿฅ•ย Get creative! Shred the insides of broccoli stems to make coleslaw and toss cucumbers into old pickle-brine to get a little extra mileage from your food.

food waste

TIP #5: You Made an Error with Purchasing!:

It happens! You Buy-One-Get-One-Free and decide you donโ€™t like it, or you buy something and realize it has an ingredient in it that you canโ€™t have. These items needent become garbage:

๐Ÿ—‘๏ธ.ย  Pass the product along to a friend, family member or neighbour.

๐Ÿ—‘๏ธ.ย  Leave it in the office kitchen with a โ€˜take me!โ€™ note.

๐Ÿ—‘๏ธ.ย  Reach out to your local food bank to see if theyโ€™re taking donations.

๐Ÿ—‘๏ธ. If itโ€™s pet food, contact your local shelter.

food waste

Tip 6#: Donโ€™t Be Too Picky & Consider Growing Your Own:

Weโ€™re not saying you need to eat mouldy fruit, but donโ€™t overlook the crooked banana or slightly bruised pear at the grocery store. If you eat this produce in good time, it will still be delicious.

And if you *do* come across mushy berries or wilted spinach in your fridge โ€“ donโ€™t despair! Blend it up and make a delicious smoothie, or toss the leaves into a pasta sauce where theyโ€™d wilt anyway.

If youโ€™re willing and able:

๐ŸŒฟ.ย  Look into growing-your-own at home or into participating in a community garden. Itโ€™s a great way to connect with nature and to keep an eye on exactly what you have.

๐ŸŒฟ.ย  If you donโ€™t have space to grow your own yard, look intoย inhome growing systemsย ย (โฌ…๏ธย  like these from RAOG Business Member,ย Just Vertical)ย or start small. Like, really small! Give sprouting a chance with one of theseย Sprouting Kitsย from Earth Warrior Lifestyle.

food waste

Tip 7#: Get Creative:

Somethings you just canโ€™t eat (or you donโ€™t feel comfortable eating ๐Ÿ˜‰ )! Like apple cores, coffee grounds, egg shells โ€ฆ you get the picture.

Thereย areย ways in which you can ensure these items donโ€™t end up in landfill!

For example:
โžก๏ธ.ย  Put coffee grounds in your compost or turn them into a shower scrub (mix grounds with coconut oil and brown sugar).

โžก๏ธ.ย  Add egg shells to your garden in a variety of ways: Simply pop them in the compost bin, use them for starting seeds or use them as mulch.ย  Female birds in particular will enjoy snacking on them!

โžก๏ธ.ย  String up sliced old fruit for the birds and string them in your yard. Like RAOG Business Member,ย Camp Kawarthaย discussedย here.

โžก๏ธ.ย  ย If you buy all-natural seeded bread, there are usually seeds left lurking in the bottom of the bag. Shake the seeds out in the garden โ€“ the birds will thank youย ๐Ÿฆ

compost

Tip 8#: Compost:

We touched on this in Tip #6 but itโ€™s such a vast way to reduce food waste we thought it deserved its own segment. Composting is anย amazingย way to use up food scrapsย andย food waste.

Here are some composting tips:

๐Ÿฅฆย  ย You can start a compost bin in your yard or in your house (with a countertop bin or a vermicomposting setup).ย 

๐Ÿฅฆ.ย  If you donโ€™t feel the need to compost at home check with your municipality or township. Most areas now provide a standalone green bin where you can put your scraps. They will then be turned to compost for city and allotment use.

demain demain co

Tip 9# Transport Food Safely

Weโ€™ve all been there. You go on a hike or you commute to work. When you go to grab your lunch you find a soggy, squashed sandwich at the bottom of your bag โ€“ hardly appealing!

Transport your snacks safely (which in turn guarantees you can still eat them) by:

๐Ÿ’ช.ย  Using sealable, waterproof bags. Like the oneโ€™s made by Green Act Business Member, Demain Demain. Theyโ€™re pictured above and theyโ€™re made fromย RecyPulโ„ข textile: all fabrics are knitted and printed in Montreal, from recycled water bottle fibers.

๐Ÿ’ช.ย  Bring hot and cold lunches in stainless steel containers, likeย these. Theyโ€™reย veryย affordable, dishwasher safe and theyโ€™re made from 100% recycled components.

We hope our 9 speedy tips help you to reduce your own individual food waste this year.

If you have any suggestions that youโ€™d like to share with our community be sure to let us know!

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Author

Stephanie Ward

Stephanie started her journey towards a sustainable lifestyle young: at the age of 12, she started a โ€˜compost binโ€™ in a margarine container โ€” and left it for her mum to find under the sink many weeks later โ€ฆ Needless to say, her eco-skills have improved since then! A vegan of 10+ years, a staunch animal welfare advocate, and an avid recycler, you’re most likely to find her on a hike, or in the garden.

More Blog Posts:

๐ŸŒŽ We may be random, but we're not without purpose.

Connect with our eco-community for free resources on actions you can take to protect our planet – starting today.
๐ŸŒŽ๐ŸŒŽ๐ŸŒŽ