Food Waste Reduction:



Reduction is the most effective way of becoming sustainable!
(followed distantly by re-use and recycling)
-
Nearly 1/3 of all food produced for human consumption is wasted!
This is a tremendous waste of water, energy and resources.-
21% of the U.S. agricultural water usage is squandered for producing wasted food.
-
19% of all U.S. cropland area is used to produce wasted food.
-
18% of all U.S. agricultural fertilizer is used to produce wasted food.
-
21% of all U.S. Landfill content is wasted food (largest single component of a landfill)
Less than 3% of food waste in NYS is currently diverted from landfills. -
Transportation of wasted food produces 2.6% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions annually. (Equivalent to 37 million passenger vehicle miles per year.)
-
1.3% of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is squandered to produce wasted food, wasting $218 Billion of our taxes!
-
Food waste decomposition in landfills produces methane that is ~25X more potent than carbon dioxide.
-
-
Reduction of food waste is the most effective process to reduce greenhouse gas production (Drawdown 2020 Scenario 1).
Strategies to reduce food waste:
- By making small shifts in how we plan, shop, store and prepare food,
we can eat well, simplify our lives, toss less, save money and prevent waste!
-
Smart shopping and planning (Buy what you need & Eat what you buy):
-
Buy food with thought.
-
Cook food with care.
-
Serve just enough.
-
Save what will keep.
-
Prepare and eat what would spoil.
-
Use home grown or local products.
-
-
Proper food storage practices:
-
Optimal use of your refrigerator (Eat me First! Use the freezer).
NRDC: The Refrigerator, demystified. -
Understand expiration and spoilage dates.
-
-
Creative cooking!
-
Appropriate portion sizing.
-
Creative use of leftovers - use them all!
-
-
New York State Law (effective 1-Jan-2022) requires businesses generating > 2 tons of wasted food per week
- Donate excess edible food
- Recycle remaining food waste (if within 25 miles of an food waste recycler).
Community Action:
-
Misconception: Food waste is not a pressing problem.
-
Partner with similarly aligned CYCG groups:
-
Work to support the Village and Town of Pittsford in the creation of educational material for Food Waste Prevention programs and help implement educational and outreach activities.
-
Leverage resources and funding from the EPA FTGTW program, the NYSERDA Climate Smart Community program and the NYS DEC funded R.I.T. Pollution Prevention Institute.
Resources:
-
Meal planning, shopping & storage recommendations, Guest-imator: https://savethefood.com/guestimator
-
Vermont resource: https://scrapfoodwaste.org/
-
Recipes for leftovers, portion planning and an App: https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/
-
Tips to reduce waste: https://foodshift.net/reduce-your-waste/
-
Jonathan Bloom's blog (Author of American's Wasteland - How America throws away nearly half of its food)
-
Excellent local resource: NYS Pollution Prevention Institute at R.I.T.