9 Ways To Prevent Food And Organic Waste

What Is Organic Waste?

Simply put, organic waste is anything that was once living and while food waste covers what we eat, organic waste casts a wider net. Organic materials that may be recycled include the following items: leaf and brush, yard trimmings, grass clipping, garden residue, food scraps, and food-soiled paper products that cannot be recycled with traditional materials.

Organic waste includes:



• Vegetables.
• Fruits.
• Bakery items.
• Meat, poultry, and seafood (including bones and shells).
• Eggs and paper egg cartons.
• Dairy products.
• Coffee grounds (including paper filters).
• Teabags.
• Food-soiled paper products.
• Landscape and pruning waste and non-hazardous wood waste.

Sadly, the majority of the organic waste items listed above end up in landfills. When organic waste is put in landfills, the bacteria that break down the waste generate methane which is a harmful greenhouse gas. When we divert organic waste that is brought to landfills, we put useful things to better use as well as reduce methane emissions.

9 Ways To Prevent Food And Organic Waste

1. Reduce Amount. Reduce the volume of surplus food generated. Shop smart, do a menu plan for the week, use your leftovers, and store food correctly to reduce waste.
2. Practice FIFO. FIFO stands for First In, First Out. To do this unpack groceries and move older products to the front of the fridge/freezer/pantry and put new products in the back. By utilizing FIFO you’re more likely to use up the older stuff before it expires.
3. Monitor What You Throw Away. Collect organic waste and determine how much and what specifically is being thrown away. If you find you are throwing away half a loaf of bread each week, then perhaps it’s time to start freezing half that loaf the moment you buy it so it doesn’t go stale before you’re eating it.
4. Split A Dish. If eating a meal out, split a dish with a friend so you don’t waste half of the giant portion sizes served at many restaurants.
5. Preserve Produce. Produce doesn’t have to be thrown away just because it’s reaching the end of its peak. For example, soft fruits can be used as ingredients in smoothies and wilting vegetables can be used in soups, etc.
6. Feed The Hungry. Donate any extra food to food banks, soup kitchens, and shelters.
7. Feed The Animals. Divert any extra food scraps to animal feed.
8. Industrial Uses. Provide waste oils for fuel conversion and send food waste to anaerobic digestion where it can be used for fuel and electricity production
9. Composting. Create a nutrient-rich soil additive.

The Takeaway

Overall, the benefits of recycling organic waste before it gets to the landfill will reduce the burden on what is increasingly becoming limited space for garbage disposal. In turn, diverting organics away from landfills helps to reduce methane emissions.



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