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10 Easy Ways To Reduce Food Waste

thedailygreen.com — Follow these tips to help you reduce food waste, save money and protect the environment.

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  • socialpyramid, on 07/02/2008, -0/+14My friend rarely finishes half her lunch, which drives me kind of nuts, especially since she pays by the pound in her company cafeteria!
  • nafai, on 07/02/2008, -0/+19Seeing how much food people waste just irks me to no end. Biggest pet peeve: people leaving huge mounds of food on their plate at an all-you-can-eat buffet.
    • acmethunder, on 07/02/2008, -0/+8Lots buffets around my place are now charging for leftover food. The sushi place charges $1/piece left un-eaten. The good news is most of these places will pack up your leftovers to take home.
  • granolajoe, on 07/02/2008, -0/+1311. Spend some time being poor in a third world country. You'll learn to appreciate food and clean your plate every time. Trust me, I know :)
    • lajaw, on 07/04/2008, -2/+1Why were you in a third world country eating their food? People are starving there and you went to eat their food? Or are you an illegal here in the US?
    • jamesdew, on 07/04/2008, -0/+2But then you might get fat. Appreciate your food of course I agree but I will not continue to eat once I am full, what is the point? If I have eaten enough food then I believe it is a waste to continue eating.
  • sunshine8705, on 07/02/2008, -1/+3I have the problem of eating too much. Although, I am definitely battling this problem of mine. I set up my own compost ( a lot cheaper), BUT I had a fruit fly infestation and had to move it outside, but soon I will have to get rid of it :( . This article though gave me some ideas for the future. Thanx!
    • einstevo, on 07/04/2008, -0/+2you tried to make a compost pile inside your house...?
    • sunshine8705, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Yes, well not a pile, but a compost,it's actually quite easy to make. Just a "rubbermaid" container with a few holes in it to allow air, then add some dirt, scraps, red worms (they have an amazing appetite, but prefer a specific temp. range), and some shredded paper to prevent the "stink" from the rotting food. You do not want to put meat or dairy products in it though. Fruit, vegetables, tea bags, coffee filters, egg shells, and more are good for the compost. After about 4-6 weeks you can see lots of black dirt that is very good for plants you may have around the house, or outside. This is a good option for anyone living in a confined space such as an apartment.
  • upick, on 07/03/2008, -0/+75. Use up your leftovers.
    7. Serve small amounts.

    Great way to not waste food... So many people love throwing away food especially at restaurants! Makes me sick~
  • Haoie, on 07/03/2008, -0/+3Always get a doggie bag when you dine out.

    I for one, quite like leftovers.
  • liuite, on 07/03/2008, -0/+3restaurants have to manage waste control to remain profitable. here are a few suggestions;
    1. put larger labels on food in the fridge, so you know which item must be consumed first.
    2. raw meats have short shelf life. you can always freeze it after you cook it if you have too much.
    3. a whole bird goes a long ways...remember that Thanksgiving turkey. start with a whole boiled chicken and you will have soup, chicken for dipping, salad, stir-fry, etc.
    4. keep frige at 40 or slightly below.
    5. Dry excess moisture from vegetables and store them in the crisper. do not overstuff.
    6. Purchase produce bags that slow down the ripening process. They can be washed and reused.
    7. good sauces don't need to go to waste, i.e. curry...soak it up with rice noodle.

  • recycleraccoon, on 07/03/2008, -0/+2Also, when you go to restaurants take along your own reusable container for leftovers so your not making waste with all that Styrofoam! Tupperware has some nice containers that collapse flat until you need to use them.
    • whorunbartertwn, on 07/04/2008, -1/+1Yes!

      In fact when I eat at the Hawaiian place down the street I bring my own plate, forks, and knives since they serve food on disposable stuff, and after eating sunflower seeds I usually wash out the little bag they came in and send it back to the manufacturer.
  • s4g4n, on 07/04/2008, -0/+811# Use propane and propane accessories
  • AchaIemoipas, on 07/04/2008, -1/+8I reduced food waste 100% at my house, I now weigh 700lbs.
  • Depravo, on 07/04/2008, -1/+0No mention of the method employed by Madonna and Angelina Jolie?
  • Narcism, on 07/04/2008, -0/+5"Eat the damn food" is surprisingly absent.
  • GeorgeTirebiter, on 07/04/2008, -3/+0To cut down on the amount of methane, that deadly greenhouse gas, we should stick spark plugs up our butts so that it can be burned off before it has a chance to escape. Of course, fireproof underwear would be mandatory.
  • rootsm3, on 07/04/2008, -1/+4Proud member of the Clean Plate Club.
    • Skooma714, on 07/04/2008, -0/+1I even scrap the plate with my fork usually to get everything.
  • charlie55, on 07/04/2008, -0/+6food shortages are not about food, they are about politics. if you want to feed people you can forget about wasting your own food and start worrying about government corruption in poor countries, haiti for instance. there are enough calories in the world to go around, the problem is distribution and politics.

    the rich first world wasting food is totally irrelevant.
    • Skooma714, on 07/04/2008, -0/+5It's still bad karma and a waste of your own personal money.
      • charlie55, on 07/04/2008, -1/+4karma is something that children believe in.
    • Narcism, on 07/04/2008, -1/+4If the world consumed at US levels, the planet could only support 2 billion people...
    • lajaw, on 07/04/2008, -0/+2Mugabe is a prime example of bad politics starving people.
      • charlie55, on 07/04/2008, -0/+2correct. the solution to hunger is governmental reform, decentralized power. freedom cures hunger.
  • CYR1X, on 07/04/2008, -0/+1I think the only practical way to reduce food waste would be for companies to make smaller food sizes
  • Skooma714, on 07/04/2008, -0/+8My family buys fast food every other day for dinner when we have two fridges and freezers full of food, sometimes we can't even close them right.

    Naturally a lot of it rots before anyone eats it. My family is all like ¯(º_o)/¯ whenever I suggest we eat at home instead of buying more fast food.

    My mom is understandably tried after work, but she apparently never got the memo that she doesn't need to cook for us anymore.
    • Narcism, on 07/04/2008, -2/+1get off WoW, and make dinner for your family.
    • Skooma714, on 07/04/2008, -0/+31. Never played a MMORPG in my life.
      2. It is also a waste of food to make more when they just show up with fast food.
    • lajaw, on 07/04/2008, -0/+1Do the cooking yourself and quit your bellyaching.
    • cjacks9, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Be the change you want to see in the world...or at least in the house. If they happen to call before they grab the fast food say "Hey, I don't need any." Or, even give them a call (well,maybe just your parents. Siblings can fend for themselves) and say "I want to make such and such for dinner. Want some too?"

      If all else fails, I can stop over and take care of those excess groceries.
  • polyp2000, on 07/04/2008, -1/+1put your leftovers in a box and send it to ethiopia.

    N.
  • DiggStarFleet, on 07/04/2008, -0/+0Wow! I always thought methane was a good thing with all the fuss about it being better than other carbon-based fuels. But I guess it's just that, just better but not really a totally good thing. Now I have something else to tell my kids when they don't want to finish their food.
  • Ex3poo, on 07/04/2008, -0/+2Dont Crap....
  • danharlow, on 07/04/2008, -1/+2I have a bird feeder on my patio that has more seen on the ground than in the feeder because the birds toss out the bits they don't really want to get at the tasty stuff they do want.

    All animals are wasteful when there is plenty to go around - it's not unique to humans.

    Still, I get the point of the article. Nothing wrong with being a member of the clean plate club.
  • Rudegar, on 07/04/2008, -0/+0eat soylent green it's produced by 100% harmfull as living organisms! :P
  • howitzeral, on 07/04/2008, -0/+1This article has a glaring flaw: it's assuming that all the methane is just going into the atmosphere. Some landfills (I don't know how many, unfortunately) capture that methane and then sell it for fuel.
    • recycleraccoon, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2Most landfills only capture a small percentage. (like 10 - 25%) The highest I have ever even heard claimed was 40%, and I didn't count the source as reliable. Even landfills that can sell the methane can't capture it all and most is still flared off.
      • howitzeral, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1Dang--didn't know only that small amount of methane was being captured. Thanks for the info!
  • ThePwnyExpress, on 07/04/2008, -0/+1you could also interpret the title as "10 Easy Ways To Not Poop So Much"
  • cjwl, on 07/04/2008, -0/+1"Buy loose fruits and vegetables instead of prepacked"

    Not only do you get quantity control but loose fruit is typically a higher grade than the prepacked in a given supermarket.


  • XZanatos, on 07/04/2008, -0/+1I work at a grocery store and I can tell you absolutely that we throw away enough food EVERY DAY to feed at least 10 people. Fruits and vegies only slightly damaged, dairy products left out just a little too long (trust me cheeses don't go bad from just 2 or 3 hours of no refrigeration), bread loaves just a day too old and therefore not 'fresh enough' anymore. Why do we do this? Just because ONE lawsuit 'could' ruin us. We suck.
    • cjacks9, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Surely you're telling the local homeless folk to stop by every night to collect said foodstuffs. And if you have any of those trolling-for-food-in-garbage folk (non-homeless), I'm sure they're having a field day.
  • gkiltz, on 07/05/2008, -0/+0It's insanely easy to reduce food waste: With apologies to Weird Al Yankovick, JUST EAT IT!!!
    Know how much you can really eat, and fix only that much!
    It's OK, even in the most formal situations to take a very small serving of something and try it!
    Know how much of a particular thing you can handle, and take only that much!!
    If everyone does it, the servers eventually will adjust their quantities!
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