Hello Gaia lovers!
Today I will be talking about how to #recycle food and why it’s important. Most people might not consider #foodwaste as a form of pollution that affects the environment. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), about 94 percent of the food thrown away ends up in landfills or combustion facilities. Now you may think, well the food will just decompose, so what’s the big deal? The problem is when food decomposes it emits certain gases, such as methane, that harm our atmosphere and contribute to climate change. We’re talking about millions of pounds of food that are wasted each year in every country in the world. Take a look at some alarming statistics regarding food waste:
One third of all food in the world is wasted. This equates to 1.3 billion tons of food, which could feed starving people in the world four times.
In the US, between 40 and 50 percent of food is thrown away. This wasted food is valued at $165 billion or ¼ of the US military budget.
The average American throws out about 240 pounds of food per year.
An average American family of 4 throws out about $2,275 worth of food.
Cutting down only 20 percent of food waste would feed 25 million Americans.
Fifty-five to sixty-five percent of food waste happens on the consumer level.
Decomposing food produces methane, a gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
As you can see food waste is a huge problem, not just in the US but everywhere in the world. The environmental implications are deadly. Not only does food waste affect the atmosphere and climate, it also wastes a lot of water that is used in growing and producing this food. About half of wasted food uses 25 percent of all freshwater in the US. Behind your plump tomatoes there’s a chain of very complex processes. It takes a lot of work to produce so much food, but it also costs a lot of money to dispose of the waste. About $750 million a year to be exact. Now that you know some reasons why #reducing food waste is important, I’m going to share some ways we can help.
Composting
Composting may sound complicated or messy, but it’s actually very simple. Composting uses food waste such as vegetable and fruit scraps and transforms them into a soil conditioner—known as compost—rich in nutrients. You can compost outdoors as well as indoors. You shouldn’t feel restricted if you live in an apartment because you also have some great composting options. I’m going to focus more on composting indoors because that’s where people have the most trouble due to space issues. If you would like to learn how to compost outdoors and you have some yard space, here is a great video.
For composting indoors, specifically apartments, I found this very handy document that will make it so much easier. Now, the question for apartment composting is to use worms or not? Worms are actually very clean animals and they help break down food waste a lot more quickly. Many people worry that the compost will smell in such a reduced space, but if you use worms correctly you will not have this issue because the worms will eat the food before it begins to smell.
There are also some debates as to what not to add to your compost pile. Many sources say no meat, no dairy, and no animal feces. The main concern with these is that they grow a lot of bacteria, but they’re also not good for worms. There are some instances in which you can use meat and dairy (except the animal feces which should never be used), and I will discuss these later on. You can buy your worms online or you can buy them from a bait shop, and many people recommend the red wigglers.
The trick to this style of composting is to take care of your worms and keep your bin clean. If you take care of your worms, you will only have to buy them once because they will breed and thrive for years. You also don’t have to use worms, but you will probably have to monitor your bin more closely to avoid fruit flies and bad smells. I did a lot of reading about composting with worms and here are some tips I collected apart from the ones already included on the graphic:
Add soil and dirt to the bottom of your bin. Soil will help your compost get going and dirt will help the worms with digesting. They need grit.
I would switch steps 4 and 5. Add your worms first then cover them with damp newspaper or dry leaves.
When you add scraps, add them to different sections of the bin every time. This will ensure the worms are evenly fed.
Keep the lid off your container for the first few days to help the worms adjust to their new home
Always bury your scraps underneath the newspaper and leaves to avoid fruit flies and bad smells
To avoid bad smells, do not overfeed your worms. Worms will eat about half a pound of food for every pound of worm. Start out with a small amount of scraps, and check in a day or two if the food is gone. Adjust food intake accordingly. If you keep the bin clean and the worms well fed, there should be no smell.
Keep your scraps small. Cut up everything into smaller cubes.
Keep your bin under your kitchen sink. Worms like dark, moist, and warm areas. Use a thermometer and maintain temperatures between 55- and 77-degrees Fahrenheit.
Circulate or fluff your bedding to help circulate the inside layers.
Monitor worm numbers closely because they breed very quickly. If you don't feed them enough, they will eat their own poop or castings, which are poisonous to them.
You should harvest the worm castings about every 3 months. Castings are essentially the fertilizer that enriches soil. Dump out the bin and separate the worms from the castings then return the worms back with fresh bedding. Castings are football-shaped.
It will take about 3 months to create your first batch of compost.
Cool Programs
Bootstrap
There are many cool programs popping up to help reduce food waste. One that I really love is called Bootstrap Compost. It’s super easy and it works as a monthly membership where you fill up your Bootstrap bucket with ANY food waste, including meat and dairy, and they come by weekly or biweekly to pick up your scraps. Once a month they deliver to you what they call “black gold,” which is the rich compost you can use for your plants, or you can donate it to schools or community centers.
Bootstrap has the means to process things like meat and dairy in their compost center, so it’s an even easier way to reduce all food waste. Bootstrap only services the Greater Boston Area, but there are many other programs you can look up. This is my most recommended option just because it’s so easy, and it costs about $25 a month. To avoid any bad smells, I would recommend to store any meat or dairy products in the freezer while you wait for them to be picked up.
Drop-off locations
If you don’t want to pay for a pick-up service there are also many drop-off locations you can find online. Some are free, and some will have a small fee, but utilizing these will probably be the most cost-effective way to reduce food waste other than composting yourself. A quick online search of compost drop-offs should show you exactly what you’re looking for.
Misfits Market
Believe it or not there are laws that designate which fruits and vegetables are good enough to be sold. Producers throw out potatoes that aren’t big enough, cucumbers that are too curvy, and tomatoes that don’t have the right shade of red. This is of course absolutely ridiculous. These are perfectly healthy and edible, and they’re wasted for not being “pretty” enough to sell to the consumer. This of course creates a lot of waste.
Recently, I found a program called Misfits Market. It’s basically an online grocery store/ subscription program that sends you a box of fresh, funny-looking produce. They save “ugly” produce that they buy from hundreds of farms across the country, and sell it online for half the price of grocery stores. You can have the box delivered weekly or biweekly. Currently, they’re only available in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, but they’re growing quickly.
Donate
If you’re not going to use something consider donating it to those in need. You can donate to food pantries, food banks, and food rescue programs across the country. Some schools also have donation programs as well as community centers. You can look up food banks near you by using the Feeding America Food Bank Locator. Sustainable America also has a Food Rescue Locator.
Plan Ahead
Keep a list of meals and their ingredients that you know you enjoy and will buy for that week.
Plan your meals for the week and only buy the items you need to make them. Look up recipes ahead of time and go shopping with those recipes on hand.
Include quantities of how many meals you will get out of one ingredient. Ex: salad mix
Buy only what you will need and will use. Do not overbuy unless you know you will use all of the food before it spoils.
Buy groceries a week at a time. It’s easier to plan for one week rather than two, and most food will spoil within a week.
Learn to Store
Most people don’t know how to store their fruits and vegetables. Did you know some should go in the fridge and some should not? Just by educating ourselves on how to properly store food, we’re already making a big difference.
Many people want to put all their groceries in the fridge thinking it will keep them from spoiling, but sometimes it could have the opposite effect. Learn how to properly store your food inside or outside the fridge. This will help your food stay fresher longer and reduce waste. Here’s a great guide on items that don’t need to be refrigerated.
Freeze, preserve, or can extra fruits and vegetables.
Store fruits and vegetables in separate bins. Keep bananas, apples, and tomatoes by themselves.
Wash berries right before you eat them to prevent mold.
Here’s a really cool video I have used personally to properly store food like bananas and strawberries.
Food Prep
Prepare perishable food as soon as you get home from the supermarket or farmer’s market. This will save you time and money.
Take the time to wash, dry, chop, slice, and package your food in storage containers for easy snacking and cooking throughout the week.
Prepare meals ahead of time and freeze them for later use.
Cook perishable items and freeze them for later use.
If you buy chicken or meat in bulk, cut it and separate it into batches, then freeze. Do not thaw and prepare the entire package knowing it will be too much food.
Be Thrifty
Before disposing of leftovers look up ways to reuse them. If I see my bananas getting brown, I’m already thinking about making banana bread. There are so many recipes online and sites like Pinterest where you can find ideas.
Before ordering out or buying more food, look in your fridge first. You will most likely find something you can use to make a nice meal.
Soups, casseroles, stir-fries, sauces, smoothies, frittatas, and baked goods are all good options to use leftovers.
Plan an “eat the leftovers” night each week.
At restaurants, ask about portion sizes and only order what you will eat. Take home the leftovers and make them your next meal.
Stale bread can be used for croutons or bread pudding. Vegetable scraps and fish and meat bones can be made into stock.
Check out this really interesting video on how to grow vegetables by using kitchen scraps.
Or learn all the ways you can use stale bread.
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, sometimes we have to put a little effort and learn how to best help the environment. A little research goes a long way. There are hundreds of trusted resources online to find out how to basically do anything. This is just one of the many ways we can do our part to help the world. ●
Sources: Gardening Know How | Sustainable America | Statista | EPA | The Spruce | Say No To Food Waste