Summer time is in full swing, which implies picnics on the seaside, yard barbecues and, sadly, the accompanying meals waste. With all of the out of doors events and recent produce accessible, it’s straightforward 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 Procuring
Meal planning helps cut back your variety of grocery journeys and retains you on price range. Checklist every little thing you should 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 options, keep on with tried-and-tested recipes or search for inspiration on-line.
Checklist every little thing: Create a buying record containing the components wanted to make the recipes. That is additionally a superb time to restock different home goods.
Buy groceries: Scour native grocery shops’ advertisements to get the perfect offers.
Purpose to create sufficient meals for 2 to 3 days of the week in case you’re new to planning.
Refresh Leftovers
You in all probability have containers of leftovers in your fridge that you simply’re not sure what to do with, similar to further grilled rooster or yesterday’s pizza. Realizing easy methods to improve your meals could be difficult, particularly if nobody’s keen to eat it anymore. Thankfully, there are methods you may love your leftovers:
Make a salad: Chop cooked meat, boiled eggs and roasted greens. Add herbs and spices to boost the flavour.
Create fried rice: This Asian dish is great for leftover rice. Combine any greens you will have available, like carrots and peas, in a wok or pan. Push the veggies apart and crack an egg within the center. Combine every little thing earlier than including leftover rice.
Make a sandwich: Sandwiches are a straightforward manner to make use of leftover meat, greens and spreads. Use leftover rooster, roast beef or turkey to create a cold-cut sandwich or wrap.
Freeze Your Meals
Your freezer is your greatest good friend this summer season. Use it to retailer fruits, greens, cheese, bread and leftovers to scale 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 starting from -20 to 55 levels Fahrenheit to maintain them recent for longer.
When freezing small baked items like cookies, take away as a lot air as potential earlier than inserting them in a bag.
Compost Leftover Meals
Composting is a sustainable method to nourish your vegetation and soil. Every particular person generates round 4.51 kilos of municipal stable waste (MSW) every day, and implementing this eco-friendly exercise might 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 in case you reside in a small house.
Apply Good Meals Storage Habits
Use produce storage luggage or containers with small air flow holes to forestall the danger of mould and moisture accumulation. Keep away from storing uncooked and cooked meals close to one another to keep away from contamination, which could be poisonous. Bear 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 meals was wasted in 2022, however one-third of the worldwide inhabitants experiences meals insecurity. This waste additionally threatens the atmosphere, resulting in greenhouse gasoline 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
Keep in mind that your hard-earned cash is wasted each time you throw meals within the dumpster. Undertake these sustainable methods to assist cut back waste, get monetary savings and contribute to a greener future.
