3 Ways To Reduce Food Waste

 

“In the United States, food waste is estimated at between 30–40 percent of the food supply.”

-US Department of Agriculture

That’s a horrifying statistic!!

Food waste comes from leftover uneaten food, food that goes bad in the fridge or food scraps from cooking. The food waste usually ends up in the trash, which is typically dumped in landfills or the ocean. 🤮

This is a HUGE problem! Not only are we generating a vast amount of trash, but the food waste we create can be used for other, better purposes – either as nutrients for the soil or food for other animals.

Here at Wavehuggers, we get stoked when we steward our beautiful earth and ocean better! It’s a major priority for us! We want future generations to surf in clean water and enjoy the many amazing beaches around the world. Here are some practical ways to reduce food waste and minimize what you throw in the trash:

Compost

This rich, dirt-like substance is full of nutrients and works wonders for your garden.

There are many ways to do this. If you have room in your backyard, you can buy a compost bin or create a compost pile. You can add any organic waste from your kitchen to the bin or pile. Over time and after a little stirring, it will become compost!

If you live in an apartment or a compost bin is not workable for you, contact your local trash company. Most companies offer green cans in addition to recycling and trash cans. These green bins can be filled with all types of organic materials and a truck will come pick it up once a week. The company will add it to their huge compost pile so it avoids the landfill. Typically anything from egg shells to brown paper, fruit and veggie scraps, meat leftovers, and baked goods are allowed in these green bins.

Chickens

While chickens aren’t for everyone, more people should definitely give it a try. They’re awesome!

Not only do chickens provide fresh eggs that taste absolutely delicious, but they eat tons of kitchen scraps. You can feed them most of the organic odds and ends that you generate throughout the day. Some examples of these are apple cores, carrot peelings, leftover rice, gristle from cooked meat, bread crusts or just about anything else you come up with.

The other perk of feeding them this way is that you save money on food for the chickens (whoop whoop!) and they get to eat a healthy, fresh diet with a wide variety of nutrients. This makes their eggs taste even better.

Worms

Gross, right? However, worms are the earth’s best and fastest natural composters! 

They devour all types of food scraps and their manure becomes a nutrient-dense fertilizer for plants. It’s extremely easy and you’ll be able to use the compost much sooner than if you use a compost bin!

You can keep the worms in a box under the kitchen sink if you don’t have a backyard. All you need is a flat container and a lid with ventilation (just poke a couple holes in it!). You can buy worms online or pick them up from a local agriculture store. Prepare the box with some damp newspaper on the bottom and start adding food scraps. Then just watch the magic happen. Once you notice a layer of manure that has accumulated, you can take it out and add it to your plants. Your garden will love it!

 

We want to make sure that future generations can enjoy the waves and the beach! Part of the way do this is by minimizing food waste.

Thankfully, it’s a fairly easy habit to add into your lifestyle, no matter where you live. Join us as we use food waste to benefit the earth and not to harm it! 🌎