Dr Libby gives us her top tips to reduce household waste and eat healthier while doing it.

It’s not a pretty picture: New Zealand households send a whopping 229,022 tonnes of food to landfill each year and about half of this is avoidable food waste. The cost of this household food waste being landfilled was $872 million per annum – horrifying when you pause to consider this. As with most things, small changes can have large impacts, so here are some simple strategies to reduce household waste.

8 simple ways to reduce household waste

1. Plan your meals in advance Buy the ingredients specifically for these meals. A little bit of planning can go a long way, especially when you arrive at the shop/supermarket. It’s easy to grab all manner of things, thinking “oh I might use some of this or that” but when you shop to recipes or a plan you’re less likely to buy unnecessary and potentially wasted ingredients.

2. Designate a use-it-up meal “What are we going to eat tonight?” Rather than it being a chore, or a frustration turn it into a fun activity to use what you have left in your fridge and pantry to create a meal. You can Google recipes using the ingredients you have and come up with something interesting.

3. Monitor what you throw away Designate a week where you write down everything you throw out on a regular basis. Are you constantly throwing out broccoli, bread or leftovers? Maybe it’s time to start freezing some of these things or storing them better, for example in an airtight container – or alternatively stop buying as much of them in the first place.

4. Store food properly in your fridge and pantry Learn how and where to store things and they are likely to keep longer. For example, keeping herbs in water in jars in the fridge. Keep crackers, nuts, seeds and legumes in sealed containers – you can even freeze nuts and seeds particularly in the warmer months to help their shelf-life.

5. Eat leftovers If you don’t want to eat leftovers the day after they’re cooked, freeze and store them for later. When serving yourself, serve smaller helpings so you don’t waste food from your plate.

6. Repurpose leftovers scraps Use vegetable and meat scraps in homemade stocks, use citrus fruit rinds and zest to add flavour to other meals. It’s also worth noting that some of the most commonly thrown away vegetable scraps are edible, for example broccoli stems, celery leaves, the green part of leeks.

7. Preserve produce Produce doesn’t have to be thrown out just because it’s reaching the end of its peak. Soft fruit can be frozen and used in smoothies; wilting vegetables can be used in soups, casseroles, slow cooks, and both wilting fruits and veggies can be used in juices.

8. Donate what you won’t use Not going to eat that can of beans or lentils? Donate it to a charity before it expires so it can be used by someone who needs it.

Dr Libby Weaver (PhD) is a nutritional biochemist, speaker and best-selling author of 13 books. Her new Wellness Cards (RRP $34.95) are available exclusively from her website.

drlibby.com