Food waste refers to edible food that ends up in a garbage landfill. It has negative impacts economically, socially, and environmentally. Economically, it signifies a waste of resources.
Looking at a social standpoint, food waste leads to inequality and food shortages. Additionally, in terms of the environment, food waste generates greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution, and energy consumption.
Here are 4 actionable steps to curb food waste.
- Store and manage your food properly
Properly storing food is crucial to reduce food waste. Use the refrigerator and freezer, ensuring the refrigerator is set around 4 degrees Celsius and the freezer below -17 degrees Celsius.
Opt for suitable containers that maintain food freshness and prolong shelf life. Select containers that fit food sizes and avoid using oversized ones that create empty spaces and accelerate food spoilage.
- Recook leftover food
Improve air circulation in the refrigerator, sparing some space among the food items. Utilize airtight containers or vacuum-sealed packaging for added food preservation.
Nearly spoiled vegetables can be transformed into new meals, like using slightly wilted fresh vegetables in salads or making smoothies and fresh juices from leftover fruits.
Similarly, rice, as a staple food, can be repurposed into various new dishes such as fried rice, steamed rice, rice soup, baked rice, and more.
- Turn food scraps into compost
Consider composting inedible food as a natural fertilizer for plants. Here are the steps to make compost from it:
- Separate suitable items like vegetables, fruits, eggshells, coffee, tea, and bread. Avoid unsuitable items like meat, fish, dairy, oil, and fats.
- Accelerate decomposition with compost activators like sawdust, dry leaves, and straw.
- Mix and aerate the compost for proper air circulation and microorganism access.
- Maintain adequate moisture without making it too wet.
- Wait for decomposition, regularly stirring and monitoring the moisture.
- Use mature compost to enrich soil in gardens, pots, or plant beds.
Read also : Multiple Ecosystems Under Danger as a Marine Heatwave Spreads Across the Pacific
- Share the food
Take into account giving the food to your family, friends, or the poor if it is still edible. Pack it neatly in sealed containers.
source: beritasatu.com
