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Easy tips for reducing food waste...
If food waste were a country, it would be the third largest emitter in the world...
The food waste situation in Australia...
On average, an Aussie household wastes 1 in 5 grocery bags of food, which contributes to the 3.3 billion tonnes of CO2 greenhouse gases that are created because of global food waste. Yeah that's right...One-third of all food produced globally for human consumption is wasted. Crikey!
There are so many actions we can take to save money and waste at an individual level. In this blog we'll talk about the most common food waste questions we're asked and our tips on how you can stop wasting food. You'd be surprised how much money you can save too!
Frequently asked questions about food waste:
1. How does food waste contribute to global warming?
When food is wasted, we waste the energy and water it takes to grow, harvest, transport and package. Think about all of the emissions involved in this process. On top of this, when food heads to landfill it produces Methane, one of the baddies that is a pro at heating the planet (we'll tell you why it's worse that CO2 below...)
2. What is composting?
Composting breaks down food and natural materials so they can be returned to the earth to nourish plants, increase soil health, and reduce methane emissions. A circular process!
3. What is the difference between compost and landfill?
Composting produces Carbon Dioxide (CO2), whilst food sitting in landfill produces Methane gas because it lacks exposure to oxygen. Methane holds 20-30 x more heat than CO2, which means it does a waaay better job at heating the planet! YIKES.
4. What is the difference between industrial and backyard composting?
Industrial composting is backyard composting x 10000!
Both processes create a nutrient rich compost at the end of the process. The main differences are that industrial composting is performed on a much larger scale, with more intense temperatures, oxygen level monitoring, and measured inputs of air, water, carbon and nitrogen rich materials. Industrial composting also accepts items that are not always accepted in home composting systems like bones, meat, or biodegradable plastics. So the main differences are the level of control, length it takes for material to break down, temperatures and what materials can be accepted.
Products that help you reduce your food waste...
1. Veggie Saver
Keep food fresher for an extra 2 weeks & save an average of $1500 per year in food waste with The Swag!
Why you'll love it:
The material of The Swag combined with water encourages a natural environment, with zero preservatives or nasties involved! Resulting in 2 weeks or more of added freshness for your fruit and veg (on average), waaay less wastage, less trips to the shop to restock, less food heading to landfill and less emissions being released from this food!
Simply wet the bag before you place your produce inside and vooolah, you've created a naturally thriving environment. Did we mention they are home compostable at the end of their lives?! A true win win for mama earth and your wallets.
Here's what our customers have to say about them...
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"No more bendy carrots, limp herbs and dried out broccoli or mushrooms. I had parsley stay fresh and crisp for just under two weeks!
Just be sure to dampen the bag during the week once you notice it drying out.
I now want to purchase more so I can store all my fruit and veggies.
I highly recommend this product if you’re looking to reduce your food waste."
- ChiChi
The Swag bags are available in three different sizes: Small, Long, and Large, shop the whole range here.
2. Urban Composter - City Composter
Reduce emissions and feed your plants with the free nourishing fertiliser that the Urban Composterproduces!
Here's the rundown on them:
- You can compost produce AND meat (no bones), fish, dairy
- They produce a liquid garden fertiliser (you only need 2 tablespoons per litre of water)
- They are small & compact (perfect for apartment living)
- When you use the compost accelerator spray they won't produce bad odours
- They are also made from recycled plastic and available in 2 sizes (8L & 15L)
- What's not to love?!
Here's what our customers have to say...
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"Great composter!
I have been looking for a compact compost bin for my balcony and this is perfect! It does everything it claims to do - and my lemon tree looks so much healthier after I fed it with the liquid I drained from the bin. Highly recommend!"
- Shanna
The Urban Composter is available in two sizes, the City Composter and the Composter Bucket.
3. Reusable Silicone Food Pouches
Store food with more convenience in the fridge, freezer or pantry with our stand-up reusable Silicone Zip Lock Bags. Hello frozen smoothie ingredients!
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"Love my new storage pouch.
So handy because it stands straight up in the fridge or freezer.
so easy to store liquids in something that is then easy to pour straight from."
- Jess
Our Reusable Silicone Bags are available in 1000ml and 1500ml sizes.
Shop our entire range of silicone food bags here.
Free tips for reducing food waste...
1. Choose ugly fruit & veg
Give these guys a chance, perfectly edible fruit and veg is turned away by supermarkets because it doesn't meet the 'optimum' shape, size or colour to be sold on the shelves. I get an organic produce box delivered weekly, I choose the carrots that are called 'juicing carrots' because they are not so pretty. I feel like a real winner though because I actually get double the amount of carrots than I would if I picked the normal carrot option.
Saving money and food waste. A win win for everyone?!
2. Store produce in filtered water
This food storage hack works a treat at extending the life of Lettuce, Kale, Celery, Broccolini, Asparagus, Carrots, herbs and anything you can think of with a stalk! Just make sure it's filtered water, we don't want our veggies soaking in nasties!
Did we mention it looks super sleek in your fridge?!
Zero Waste Cooking...
Head here to see how you can make zero waste nut milk, coconut milk, vegan cheese spreads and more using our Organic Cotton Nut Milk Bag!
Thank you for taking steps to reduce your food waste, mamma earth is sending you a big hug!
If you have any questions about how else you can reduce your waste, please don't hesitate to ask via askusanything@goforzero.com.au
With love,
Ellie & the GFZ team xx
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