How to Reduce Food Waste at Home: Simple Tips for a Sustainable Kitchen

Did you know that in the United States alone, 92 billion pounds of food is wasted annually? While 51.7% of this waste comes from the food industry, almost half of the food wasted occurs in the home. Let’s explore why this matters and what we can do to stop it.

Understanding Food Waste: A Global and Local Issue

The impact of tossing edible food on our environment is staggering. Research from the U.S. EPA and food waste organizations tells us:

• Food waste accounts for 8% of global carbon emissions

• Water and energy used to produce food that is wasted could support more than 50 million homes

• 3.4 million acres of land are used to create food that is wasted

Meanwhile, the economic burden of food waste impacts both communities and individuals. Food waste drives up the cost of food for the consumer, increasing food insecurity in vulnerable communities like food deserts. The average U.S. family throws out about $1600 a year in produce alone. While reducing the impact on our communities may require systemic change, minimizing food waste can start at home.

Mindful Eating: A Sustainable Approach

Being mindful of what we buy and how we use it can go a long way for our health and our pocketbooks. Some of my favorite hacks include:

Eating seasonally: In-season produce bought locally lasts longer as it is less likely to be imported from far away. The benefit to your health is that fewer nutrients will be lost in the time between farm and table. Environmentally, fewer carbon emissions and fertilizer is needed to produce in-season produce.

Planning your meals: Preparation is the key to success. Planning your meals days or a week in advance can help prevent you from overbuying at the store and tossing uneaten leftovers. With a plan in place, you can determine whether to plan a big grocery haul or take shorter, more frequent trips to the store to stock up on fresh food before it spoils.

Proper storage: Educate yourself on how best to store foods for longevity. For example, berries should be stored in a container with ventilation and placed in a low-humidity drawer, whereas citrus fruits can be stored at room temperature for about a week. Keeping bread in the freezer locks in moisture, whereas storing it in the fridge can dry it out faster.

Revitalizing leftovers: When you’ve made too much of something, get creative with leftovers! Repurpose extra vegetables into a breakfast scramble or quiche, freeze excess fruits for a refreshing smoothie, and turn leftover meats into a stew. Make sure to shop your fridge and pantry before shopping at the store. See what you already have, and create next week’s meal plan accordingly.

Portion control: Mindful consumption includes how much food you put on your plate. Get into the habit of eating until you are satisfied, not until you are stuffed. Doing so means saving more of your meals and purchasing fewer things less often.

Make a vegetable broth: There are so many parts of produce that we discard. The tops of onions, corn cobs, excess herbs, and pea pods are just a few examples. Rather than tossing them in the bin, store them in an airtight container in the freezer. Once full, use the scraps to create a savory vegetable broth for soups and stews.

Composting: If eating produce discards isn’t your thing, try your hand at composting. Over time, composting scraps like banana peels, eggshells, and coffee grounds in a bin can create a nutrient-dense soil for your gardening needs. Don’t have a garden? Look around for local community gardens or farms to which you can donate your compost.

Whether we realize it or not, food waste impacts us all. The good news is we can mitigate just how much. Begin by incorporating one strategy at a time to work your way towards a more sustainable lifestyle.

1. _{Move for Hunger. (n.d.). The environmental impact of food waste. Retrieved February 17, 2025 from https://moveforhunger.org/the-environmental-impact-of-food-waste.} 

2. _{United States Environmental Protection Agency (January, 14, 2025). From farm to kitchen: The environmental impacts of U.S. food waste. Retrieved February 17, 2025, from https://www.epa.gov/land-research/farm-kitchen-environmental-impacts-us-food-waste}