10 top tips to reduce food waste this Christmas
Published: 29 Nov 2021
Did you know that food waste not only burns a hole in your pocket but also burns a hole in the ozone layer! When you throw food into the bin this goes to landfill, now, because of there is no oxygen at the bottom of the landfill where your food will end up, the bacteria that decomposes it releases methane instead of carbon dioxide. Food waste and landfill gas emissions are one of the largest anthropogenic methane sources with methane being 28 times more harmful than carbon dioxide (Adhikari & Barrington, 2005).
5 million Christmas puds, 74 million mince pies and 2 million turkeys are wasted each year...that's a huge amount of money!
Fresh Pod have come up with a list of 10 things you can do at home to reduce your food waste consumption around Christmas.
1. PLAN
Make space in your fridge/freezer before you go shopping by eating up or donating to neighbours or even using OLIO an app where you can share your food with people near by! By doing this you will know exactly what you have in the house so you dont buy twice.
Plan the meals, write a shopping list and only buy what you need.
Buy your veggies loose and locally.
2. STORE YOUR FOOD CORRECTLY
All those locally bought vegetables will last longer if stored correctly. Some people are unsure how to store fruits and veggies which can lead to premature ripening. Potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers and onions should never be refrigerated. Separating foods that produce more ethylene gas from those that don't is another great way to reduce food spoilage. Ethylene promotes ripening in foods and could lead to spoilage. Foods that produce ethylene gas while ripening include: bananas, avocados, tomatoes, cantaloupes ,peaches, pears, green onions. Keep these foods away from ethylene-sensitive produce like potatoes, apples, leafy greens, berries and peppers to avoid premature spoilage. You can also adopt the first in first out rule (FIFO), check the dates of what's in the fridge and eat what's going out first.
3. BUY A FRESH POD
On the subject of ethylene, Fresh Pod uses an ethylene removing technique that takes this ripening hormone out of the atmosphere making fruit and veggies last up to 4 times longer. Look at our website now for more information.
4. EAT THE SKIN
People always remove the skins of fruits and vegetables whilst preparing meals but so much nutrients is packed inside the skin so not only is is economical but its also delicious!
5. USE YOUR FREEZER
After the big day you've always got left overs...what are you going to do with them? Well...most Christmas items can be frozen including mince pies, potatoes, stilton, turkey, vegetables and bread sauce AND you can even freeze wine!
6. DONATE
Still got far too much stuff? Why not donate to a local food bank. Fresh food can't be accepted but you can give cereal boxes, biscuits, tinned vegetables and tinned soups.
7. COMPOST IF YOU CAN
Composting left overs is a beneficial way to reuse food scraps, however, not everyone has room for an outdoor composting system but there is a range of countertop composting systems that make this practice easy.
8. DONT TOSS THE GROUNDS
Coffee grounds make excellent fertilizer and a natural mosquito repellent so its a win win for when the summer comes around!
9. PAMPER YOURSELF THIS CHRISTMAS
Just cooked a massive Christmas dinner and everyone ate everything? Congratulate yourself Christmas afternoon by treating yourself to some pampering. Avocados are packed with healthy fats and antioxidants...combine ripe avocado with honey for a luxurious combination that can be used on the face or hair OR the coffee grounds from earlier? mix with sugar and olive oil for an invigorating body scrub...you can even use cool tea bags or excess cucumber slices to reduce puffiness.
10. LOVE YOUR LEFT OVERS
Got some bread left over and its gone a bit stale? Feed the birds or make breadcrumbs or you can even make Christmas decorations out of it (crazy i know!). There's loads of things you can do with leftovers or out of date items just be sure to be careful.
