By Jody Sackett, Rumson Environmental Commission
Yesterday’s half-eaten sandwich, old fruit, a salad gone to mush. Garbage, right? Maybe not. Currently, a third of the food produced in the United States is thrown away. Why should we care? Because wasted food means families pay for food they don’t eat, towns pay higher fees to dispose of this extra trash, and it consumes landfill space while generating greenhouse gases. This issue is garnering a lot of attention lately, so let’s dive into it here and explore why.
What is food waste? Food waste is any food produced for human consumption that is thrown away without being eaten. It’s the misshapen or discolored produce that farmers and grocery stores discard since consumers don’t want it, the scraps like potato peels from food preparation, and leftover cooked food that isn’t eaten. Households account for 39% of preventable food waste, more than farms, restaurants or grocery stores. Top wasted items: 40% of fresh fish, 20% of dairy, 34% of produce and 25% of eggs.
What’s wrong with food waste going into landfills? Putting food waste in our local landfills takes up a lot of precious space; in fact, as the single largest category of material in municipal landfills, it constitutes nearly a third of the whole waste stream. And once it’s in the landfill, this food generates methane. Additionally, this wasted food costs a family of four about $1,500 a year; and towns now have more garbage to get rid of, resulting in higher collection and disposal fees. Moreover, valuable resources used to produce that food, such as water, croplands and energy, have also been wasted.
Won’t wasted food just decompose in landfills? Food waste doesn’t readily decompose in landfills, due to compaction and lack of exposure to oxygen and light. Instead, the anaerobic landfill conditions produce methane, a gas more potent than carbon dioxide in contributing to climate change. Municipal solid waste landfills are the third largest source of human-related methane emissions in this country.
Are there sustainable ways to reduce food waste? Yes, and it’s becoming a priority in places like New York City, which has initiated residential curbside food waste pickup. Other metropolitan regions such as Columbus, Ohio, have reduced landfilled food waste by half through recycling, composting and a powerful awareness campaign. Let’s break down how to do your part:
• Use-By Dates Sometimes food is unnecessarily discarded based solely on stamped dates. These dates aren’t required by the government (except for infant formula), so there’s no set standard for determining product endpoints. The dates are mostly used by retailers for stock control, and as a general consumer guide for quality. Food that is perfectly good may be incorrectly discarded due to misinterpreting these dates. “Sell By” is how long the store should display the product for sale and inventory management; “Freeze By” indicates when the product should be frozen for optimal quality; “Best if Used By” or “Use By” is typically used by manufacturers to indicate when the food is no longer at its highest quality. Don’t throw out food just because the date has passed, since it may still be fine. Instead, the USDA advises consumers to first evaluate the quality of the product’s flavor, texture or scent to determine if there is spoilage, before deciding whether to toss.
• Shop Smart There are several techniques for shopping smarter. Going to the store with a list of specific of ingredients needed for a dish or the week’s meals reduces impulse buying, which can lead to food waste. While we are all busy, this planning tool is actually the most efficient way to shop. Some folks take a “shelfie” – a photo of their fridge’s contents – so they remember what’s in it when they go shopping after work. Try planning to cook recipes that will use up what’s already in your fridge, like on a TV chef contest (and maybe compete with friends to see who uses up the most). Finally, only buy in bulk if you are sure you’ll actually use it all; it’s not a bargain for your budget or the environment if you have to throw out half of it because it went bad.
• Store Food Properly The longer you keep your food fresh, the less you’ll have to discard. Remember that veggies like high humidity and fruits prefer low humidity, so set your fridge accordingly. Need to ripen produce fast? Put it on the counter in a paper bag with fruits like apples or tomatoes that release ethylene gas (and avoid combining them if you want to extend shelf life). You can buy inexpensive gadgets like Bluapple with filters that absorb ethylene gas in the fridge, to better preserve produce while it’s stored. Waiting to wash items like berries, grapes or mushrooms until you actually use them will delay spoilage. The fridge door is the warmest part, so put condiments there but not milk or eggs. Cold air is heavier and sinks; put easily-spoiled groceries like meat or more perishable stuff on the chillier bottom shelf.
• Freeze and Use Leftovers If despite your best efforts there’s food you haven’t used, freeze it now to use later or to share with nonchef friends. How about designating Leftover Mondays so you can more gradually ease into the culinary week. Or eat leftovers for lunch at work the next day. Why not take turns hosting a casual Leftover Party with friends, where guests all bring whatever’s left over in their fridge to share, buffet-style; easy, no prep, and every party’s a surprise menu.
• Compost Food Waste This is nature’s way of recycling. Composting is a controlled, aerobic process that uses microorganisms to feed on organic materials and convert them into a nutrient-rich soil enhancer. It’s simple, inexpensive and a fabulous way to reduce food waste and create natural fertilizer so you don’t have to use chemicals. Composting also doesn’t produce methane like landfilling food does. You can build a simple backyard composter using a lidded plastic bin or trash can; drill holes in the bottom and sides to let oxygen in, put it in a dry and fairly sunny place, and add layers of one-part green matter (produce peels and cores, bread, cooked rice or pasta, eggshells) to three-parts brown matter (dead leaves, tree branches, shredded newspaper, tea or coffee grounds). Do not add meat, dairy or oils. Add a small amount of water if it’s dry and turn the pile over with a shovel a few times a month. You can keep a closed container such as a reusable takeout box or zipper-lock plastic bag to conveniently store scraps in the kitchen to reduce trips to the composter. It will take a while to finish the compost, but if you start now it might be done in time to bury it in your garden this spring. There are also small countertop composters available that complete the whole job right in your kitchen.
So that’s it. Now that you know, why not try out a few of these ideas to sustainably reduce household food waste? And spread the word.
The article originally appeared in the March 2 – 8, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
