Food waste is something that we here at LC Compost take seriously. The reason we care so much is that food that goes into the landfill is then turned into methane gas as it decomposes. Methane gas is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide and this is something that could be easily avoided. Here in Kelowna our landfill captures this methane and and works with Fortis BC to use this natural gas. But what happens when we move or our children grow and leave home? Forming the habit of composting, recycling and reducing is something that you can take with you no matter where you go!
Here in Canada we waste 58% of food that is grown or imported. This converts to about 35.5 million tonnes of food that is not consumed, 1/3 of which could be rescued. Each household wastes approximately 79 kg of food per year and about 30% of your garbage is organic waste.
Below are some tips on how to reduce your organic waste footprint:
- Meal Plan: when we meal plan we are less likely to buy foods that we will not consume
- Left Overs: before shopping or ordering in make sure you have eaten all left overs in your fridge
- Take your Left Overs: when eating out bring your left overs home (bringing your own take out containers is even better!)
- Look in the Fridge Before you Shop: double checking what you have before you shop allows you to make sure you aren't purchasing something you already have
- Freeze Foods: freezing foods that are about to go bad and turning around and using them in future smoothies, soups etc.
- Save Peelings: save your veggie peels to make soup stocks
-Donating Food: if you know you are not going to consume perishables rather than throwing them out, donate them to someone in need
- Compost: turning your scraps into nutrient rich soil to then turn around and regrow produce
The benefits to reducing and recovering food waste are endless. Some of the benefits are saving you money, reducing methane emissions, conserving energy and resources, assisting in the longevity of our landfill, supporting your community (by donating to people in need) and saving our planets fresh water.
Let's work together to reduce the amount of organic waste whether that is by buying more consciously, forming new kitchen habits or by composting what cannot be saved. Together we can make an impact on our environmental footprints!
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