From Guest Blogger Lauren Hailey: Food Waste Prevention Starts at Home

Reducing food waste should be on everyone’s mind. Americans spend a whopping $218 billion a year on food that is never eaten. That includes growing, transporting, and disposing of food that could be used to feed the one in seven Americans suffering from food insecurity. Like most change, preventing food waste is one big thing that can start at home in small ways.

Grow Your Own Food

When you grow something with your own two hands, there is a sense of accomplishment and pride. When you reduce food waste in the process, that pride doubles. Most of the food waste in America comes from food that is discarded or unharvested. There are 10 million tons of food wasted this way in the USA; around 25% to 45% of all food grown will not be consumed. That food waste comes from our homes, since we tend to overestimate the food we’ll need. Growing your own food not only reduces your carbon footprint, it reduces food waste from over purchasing. House Method has a detailed starter guide for those looking to grow their own organic produce in the comfort of their own backyard. Food that is grown at home is often less likely to be wasted, since any overabundance can be jarred and stored for later meals, or shared with friends and family.

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Soil Matters

As noted before on 2GreenEnergy, drought, monoculture, overuse of chemical fertilizer and pesticides, and excessive plowing can create “dead soil” which makes growing nutritious food more difficult. Natural organic amendments to soil, like manure, can be used to fertilize and improve the quality without synthetic materials being introduced to the soil. Aiding the soil and tending an organic garden can help prevent some of the 52 million tons of food sent to landfills every year.

Create a Compost Bin

The city of Orlando, FL, offers free home composting systems to residents to reduce landfill contribution and create nutrient rich soil. Backyard or home composting makes use of foods like banana peels, old bread and pastries, coffee grounds and leftover rice from Chinese take-out to create a natural recycling of waste material. The food decomposes and becomes an organic soil amendment that provides nutrients for plants and improves the soil. Creating your own compost bin allows you to put that new soil amendment and vital nutrients to good use in your organic garden, while allowing the food waste to be put to good use.

Buy Only What You Need

A trip to the grocery store should be a matter of what is needed, not frivolously wanted. Start by shopping local markets and buying locally sourced meats and breads that reduce the fossil fuels used for transport. Skip the temptation to overspend on food by planning out meals that incorporate food grown in your garden or fresh food available seasonally from the farmers’ market. With meals planned ahead of time, there is less of a chance something will be bought on a whim that will not be eaten, or thrown out when spoiled.