Summer time is in full swing, which suggests picnics on the seashore, yard barbecues and, sadly, the accompanying meals waste. With all of the outside events and recent produce accessible, it’s simple for meals to finish up as leftovers or get tossed within the dumpster. Discover 5 sensible methods to maximise your leftovers and reduce your environmental footprint.
Plan Meals Earlier than Purchasing
Meal planning helps scale back your variety of grocery journeys and retains you on price range. Record the whole lot that you must make every week so that you don’t find yourself wandering across the grocery retailer. Listed below are some meal-prepping suggestions:
- Craft a menu: Ask your loved ones for strategies, persist with tried-and-tested recipes or search for inspiration on-line.
- Record the whole lot: Create a buying record containing the elements wanted to make the recipes. That is additionally a superb time to restock different home goods.
- Buy groceries: Scour native grocery shops’ adverts to get the most effective offers.
Intention to create sufficient meals for two to three days of the week when you’re new to planning.
Refresh Leftovers
You most likely have containers of leftovers in your fridge that you simply’re not sure what to do with, comparable to further grilled hen or yesterday’s pizza. Understanding methods to improve your meals might be difficult, particularly if nobody’s prepared to eat it anymore. Thankfully, there are methods you’ll be able to love your leftovers:
- Make a salad: Chop cooked meat, boiled eggs and roasted greens. Add herbs and spices to reinforce the flavour.
- Create fried rice: This Asian dish is great for leftover rice. Combine any greens you might have readily available, like carrots and peas, in a wok or pan. Push the veggies apart and crack an egg within the center. Combine the whole lot earlier than including leftover rice.
- Make a sandwich: Sandwiches are a simple means to make use of leftover meat, greens and spreads. Use leftover hen, roast beef or turkey to create a cold-cut sandwich or wrap.
Freeze Your Meals
Your freezer is your finest buddy this summer season. Use it to retailer fruits, greens, cheese, bread and leftovers to cut back meals waste. You’ll be able to preserve chopped bananas, peaches, plums, tomatoes and cucumbers within the freezer for smoothies. Seal them in a bag and place them in a freezer with temperatures ranging from -20 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit to maintain them recent for longer.
When freezing small baked items like cookies, take away as a lot air as doable earlier than putting them in a bag.
Compost Leftover Meals
Composting is a sustainable technique to nourish your crops and soil. Every particular person generates around 4.51 pounds of municipal strong waste (MSW) day by day, and implementing this eco-friendly exercise may help you contribute to a more healthy planet. Arrange an out of doors composter if in case you have a yard or put money into a countertop mannequin when you reside in a small house.
Follow Good Meals Storage Habits
Use produce storage luggage or containers with small air flow holes to prevent the risk of mold and moisture accumulation. Keep away from storing uncooked and cooked meals close to one another to keep away from contamination, which might be poisonous. Keep in mind to maintain uncooked meats beneath cooked meals to forestall juices from dripping in your leftovers.
Why Is Meals Waste Discount Vital?
Over 1 billion tons of food was wasted in 2022, however one-third of the worldwide inhabitants experiences meals insecurity. This waste additionally threatens the surroundings, resulting in greenhouse fuel emissions and biodiversity loss. Addressing this worldwide concern this summer season means taking small steps towards a extra sustainable future.
Waste Much less, Save Extra
Do not forget that your hard-earned cash is wasted each time you throw meals within the dumpster. Undertake these sustainable methods to assist scale back waste, get monetary savings and contribute to a greener future.
