Studies have shown that as much as 60% of the household waste that we send to landfills is recyclable. When most of us think about recycling, we probably think of the usual suspects - plastic, glass, metal and cardboard. But there's another often-overlooked recyclable material - leftover food!
Knowing what to do with food waste and leftovers can be tricky, so we've teamed up with budget skip hire company Skip Hire UK who offer some great food waste hacks.
Read on for 6 common bad food waste habits and what you can do about them...
Bad habit #1: Not realising that wasted food = wasted money
Wasted food costs the average family around £700 per year! But many of us don't consider food in terms of the price tag. Most of us wouldn't throw a £2 coin in the bin, but would happily throw away an old loaf of bread that cost the same amount.
Hack: Think of food as currency
If you think of food as another type of currency, you'll be far more conscious of what you're throwing away. Get started by writing a shopping list, as this will help you only buy the amount you need.
Bad habit #2: What leftovers?
Many of us are reluctant to re-use leftovers, either because we're concerned about hygiene or we just don't know what to do with them.
Hack: Leftovers = ingredients
You can find hundreds of delicious (and safe) leftover recipes online.
Bad habit #3: Wasting money on 'trendy' food
Do you know what to do with that avocado, other than putting it on toast? If not, chances are most of it will end up in the bin.
Hack: Do your research
There's nothing wrong with exploring new ingredients - just learn how to use them before you buy, in order to reduce unnecessary waste.
Bad habit #4: Chucking everything in the bin
You probably do it without even thinking about it - tossing peels in the bin along with wrappers and packaging.
Hack: Use a compost bin
Unused fruit & veg, peels, coffee grounds and egg shells can all go in the composter. Get a second bin for your kitchen to collect compostable food waste.
Bad habit #5: Stocking up on healthy fruit & veg, then realising it spoils quickly
We've all done it - decided to be healthy, bought too much fruit and veg, then watched it all go off before you could possibly have time to eat it.
Hack: Freeze the fruit
Most types of fruit can be can frozen. As a bonus, grapes can be eaten frozen as a healthy sweet treat (they taste like sorbet).
Bad habit #6: Forgotten and rotten
Admit it - we've all found some horrors lurking in the back of the fridge! Food that you forgot you had that's been left to go fuzzy with mould.
Hack: Your own 'reduced to clear' shelf
Do what the supermarkets do and put the food that needs shifting fast in a prominent position in your fridge/cupboard. That way, you can see at a glance what needs using up.
With just a few simple tweaks, you can save a lot of food waste from hitting the bins.
Sources:https://www.skiphireuk.co.uk/news/food-recycling-tips-that-you-can-start-to-use-right-away/
https://www.about.sainsburys.co.uk/~/media/Files/S/Sainsburys/documents/modern-life-is-rubbish-food-waste-report.pdf
https://www.rebootwithjoe.com/21-kitchen-hacks-to-reduce-food-waste/