The holidays are a time for gathering and good eats, but did you know that food scraps and food-soiled paper make up around 23% of all landfill waste in King County? When food waste breaks down in the landfill, it releases greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide that contributes to climate change. Methane in particular is a very strong greenhouse gas that is much more efficient at heating the Earth’s atmosphere compared to carbon dioxide.
Here are a few tips for saving time, food, money, and the environment this holiday season.
Shop what you need
When making your grocery list, first take inventory of what’s in your pantry, fridge, spice rack. Are there any ingredients that you already have? Cross these items off your shopping list so you don’t have too many ingredients on your hand that could take up space or go bad.
Pay attention to scale when making your recipes.
It can be hard determining just how much food you want to cook. Save yourself some time, money, and fridge space by trying out a meal or recipe planner. The Save the Food Guest-Imator is a great tool that helps you calculate how much food is needed for a group dinner. You can enter the number of expected guests, what their appetites are like, and can even build a menu. The tool will then calculate the amount of food needed, plus provide cooking tips for reducing food waste.
Try out different ways to use up leftovers
Ever woke up the morning after a feast and opened your fridge, wondering what you’re going to do with all that extra food? Try repurposing some of your leftovers into new, yummy dishes.
- Make a casserole using leftover meats and veggies:
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- Use leftover bones to make freezer-friendly broths that can be used to make soups, gravies, or to add flavor to other dishes like rice and pasta.
- Freeze bread, produce, and other food items for future meals.
Compost food scraps
When food breaks down in a landfill, it releases methane which is a potent greenhouse gas contributing to global warming and climate change. Composting is a great way to do your part and reduce greenhouse gas emissions – and for gardeners, it’s an easy way to keep your soil nourished. King County offers curbside collection services for food and yard waste, which are composted so that the nutrients can be returned to the soil. Follow this link to find out more specific information on food and yard waste collection based on your location.
Be sure to also check out this guide from the King County Solid Waste Division on how to compost: How to compost right – King County, Washington.
After making your meal, here are some things you can compost:
- Vegetable and fruit scraps.
- Egg
- Meat, fish, poultry, and bones.
- Non-shiny food-soiled papers such as brown paper bags, napkins, paper towels, coffee filters, paper plates, and pizza boxes.
Here are some things that should never be put in a compost bin:
- Glass
- Most plastics, specifically items such as plastic food storage and plastic utensils that are not specifically labeled “compostable.”
- Grease and oil.
When you compost right, you waste less, and these practices help the county have cleaner compost for nourishing our soils and plant life – all contributing to a more resilient local food system! Check out your local distributer, hardware store, or nursery to purchase locally made compost.
Relevant Links:
Smart Strategy: food storage guide – Food: too good to waste – King County Solid Waste Division