We’ve all been there – reaching into the fridge to find a forgotten cucumber shrivelled beyond recognition, or a half-eaten bag of baby spinach quietly collapsing into sludge.
Australian households throw out almost 2.5m tonnes of food every year – or the equivalent of 7.7m meals a day.
While the scale is daunting, we each hold a key to the solution in our own homes and kitchens.
Over the past decade, I’ve slowly developed simple systems and habits that help reduce food waste at my place. Here are some ideas that may work at yours, too.
Stop food waste at the source
The best way to prevent food waste is to avoid bringing too much into your household in the first place. And that starts at the supermarket.
I keep a digital shopping list on my phone, adding things as they run out so it’s always up to date. I shop just once a week and stick to my list, only buying the things I actually need (with the odd exception for a great discount on something I use often).
Because I live alone, I’ve also worked out a cooking rhythm that helps minimise waste. I aim to make two to three big meals a week and immediately freeze at least one serve of each. That way, I don’t waste leftovers and always have easy frozen meals ready to go instead of resorting to takeaway when I’m tired.
Dr Mark Boulet, a behavioural scientist and adviser to The Great Unwaste campaign by non-profit End Food Waste Australia, says meal planning is crucial for smaller households that tend to cook less often – whereas bigger households need to focus on eating what they cook.
“We know families tend to waste food because they buy too much and cook too much. Eating what you’ve already cooked – whether that’s in main meals or through leftovers – is important so you’re not buying more food when you already have stuff in the fridge,” he says.
Growing some food in my small garden also helps me prevent waste.
I prioritise plants that spoil quickly, especially leafy greens and herbs such as lettuce, kale, parsley and coriander. They’re easy to grow, and I can pick what I need when I need it, instead of buying a whole pack and letting half go to waste.
Eat it before you bin it
According to The Great Unwaste, 70% of food waste in Australia is actually edible. “Most people think they waste less than they actually do,” Boulet says.
In his research, Boulet asks participants to scrape all their food waste into a small kitchen caddy for several days, then take note of what’s inside. This helps show how much edible food was thrown out because they lost interest or it went off, versus unavoidable scraps like peels and bones.
I check my fridge regularly for items that will soon go off, moving them to the front so they’re the first thing I see. The same goes for the pantry: if a staple is starting to age, I plan a meal around using it up.
For families, Boulet recommends OzHarvest’s bright yellow Use It Up tape (or a homemade version), which you can stick on items in the fridge as a simple visual reminder.
“It’s a great way for members of the household to communicate with each other and say, hey, we need to eat this first,” he says. Tests with larger households found using the tape could reduce waste by up to 40%.
Turn food scraps into something delicious
At my place, I employ the permaculture principle “produce no waste” by giving scraps a second life. I collect veggie offcuts in a big freezer bag and, once full, make batches of stock or food-scrap bone broth in a slow cooker.
I also follow the “scraptastic” cooking approach, used by Anna Matilda, the Urban Nanna, which turns veggies past their prime into soups, stews, pies and pasta sauces. Anna even collects fruit odds and ends in a freezer bag to make smoothies.
I tend to avoid freezing large amounts of food though – it’s an energy-intensive storage method and things often get forgotten up the back of the freezer.
Instead, when dealing with a homegrown produce glut or using up older veg, I’ll make simple pickles, lacto-ferments such as sauerkraut, or dehydrate sliced food to keep it shelf-stable.
Close the loop with composting
Even with the best intentions, some food waste is unavoidable. If it ends up in landfill, food rots anaerobically and produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Globally, up to 10% of emissions are caused by food waste.
I try to compost as much as I can at home. When combined with dry, carbon-rich materials such as shredded paper or autumn leaves, my food scraps transform into “garden gold”, which I then return to my veggie beds to feed my soil and grow more organic food.
Many councils now offer green bins that collect food and garden waste to be made into commercial compost, or you may be able to donate your food scraps to your local community garden.
The beauty of tackling food waste through simple at-home habits is that, beyond reducing your environmental impact, these changes often save you money too.