Home › Discussions › Green Living › 50 Ways to Never Waste Food Again
 Mary O'ConnorI just read this article & it's great - contains simple ideas that make a big difference in your budget and help save resources too: http://tinyurl.com/ykdry73 According to the article, Americans waste 14% of our food purchases per year, and the average family throws out over $600 of fruit per year. I believe it! Since my husband & I started juicing, we don't waste ANY fruits or veggies since anything that starts to look wilty goes right into our juice! I'm interested in your ideas - how to you avoid waste in the kitchen?
Stevensville, MD - 2 yearss ago
Kat JohnsonWe compost! We don't really "avoid waste" per se but we are cutting down on the amount of waste we send to a landfill, which is something!
Washington, DC - 2 yearss ago
Conny JasperI think that the most important thing is to be aware of what you are buying and what your needs are. Be realistic about what you eat on a daily and weekly basis. Plan meals, and be creative. I rarely end up throwing foods away.
Somerset, NJ - 2 yearss ago
Amanda Warton
A few years ago we started using large glass jars we bought at The Container Store. We put our bulk items like rice, corn chips, nuts, Cheerios, rasins, etc. - they stay fresh FAR longer than in the bags, and our kitchen is far neater! The glass looks nice and I have less fear of things like BPA getting into our food. You'll think I am exaggerating, but our potato chips are fresh & crunchy a month plus after opening the bag, and we live on the water (i.e. high humidity inside our house). I highly recommend!
Washington, DC - 1 years ago
Sara GreenbergI so agree with Conny. Cutting down on waste begins at the store. The bulk items Amanda suggests are a step in the right direction. Gardening, canning, preserving food for the winter & doing additional shopping at a farmers' market (using refillable containers whenever possible) is really the next step. On an unrelated note, I am upset by the excessive packaging on so many food items - especially for small amounts of food! Creates the majority of waste in our house.

Wasting food when you have children is a fact of life, but when our kids are a little older my plan is to get a dog who can make short work of the scraps. I'm only half kidding! I've found this to be an excellent solution in the past.
McLean, VA - 1 years ago