#stopfoodwasteday

If you are concerned about your budget and/or food waste we have good news: On average each household has the power to reduce the £470 lost annually to food waste. Together, we can make a huge impact on the £14 billion wasted each year in the UK!

A lot of what we throw out is stuff like veggies, salad, bread, and potatoes. And it’s not just about money; this waste adds up to 18 million tonnes of greenhouse gases annually. That’s more than some countries produce in a year!

Here’s our chance to make a difference. Firstly by cutting down on food waste, we’re saving cash and helping the planet. Secondly let’s look at the remaining leftovers as a resource and turn them into useful compost.

Here’s Team Wiggly 12 tips to get going.
1.   Check Your Fridge Temperature: Keep your fridge at the optimal range of 0-5°C. This slows down the growth of bacteria and extends the life of perishable foods.
2.   Food Storage Options: Understand which foods to store in the fridge versus the larder or your kitchen units. For example, tomatoes and potatoes should be kept in a cool, dry place, while leafy greens stay fresher in the fridge.
3.   Double your Bread Life: Bread is one of the top items wasted in UK homes. To extend the shelf life consider freezing half of the loaf as soon as you buy it. Use the first half as needed, and when you’re ready, thaw the remaining half at room temperature—it will be ready to eat in about half a day.
4.   Hydrate Vegetables: For vegetables like celery broccoli and carrots, keeping them in water can preserve their crunch and delay wilting.
5.   Smart Freezing: Freeze surplus or near-expiry fruits and vegetables. Some lose their texture but not their taste and if you want to blanching can sort that.
6.   Transform Leftovers: Get creative with leftovers—use them in soups, stews, or casseroles. Overripe fruit is great for baking or smoothies.
7.   Bokashi Composting: Use LIVE Bokashi Bran and a Bokashi Kit to ferment all types of kitchen waste, including meat and dairy, in an anaerobic process that’s faster than traditional composting methods. It’s great even if you don’t have much space.
8.   Worm Composting: Incorporate Bokashi pre-compost into your worm bin to enrich the nutrient content of the vermicompost produced. Worms help break down the waste into high-quality compost ideal for plants, but be sure to monitor the pH and moisture levels to keep your worms healthy
9.   Understand Best Before Dates: Educate yourself about the difference between “use-by” and “best before” dates. Many foods are still safe to eat after the best before date has passed, especially if they’ve been stored properly.
10. Grow Your Own Herbs and Vegetables: Reduce waste by growing your own produce. You can use exactly what you need, when you need it, and compost any plant waste to grow even more nutritious food.
11. Community Sharing: Participate in or start a community fridge where neighbours can share excess food. This not only reduces waste and helps build your community.
12. Preservation Techniques: Learn how to preserve foods through pickling, and drying. This extends the shelf life of produce and reduces the need to discard food due to spoilage.

The UK still sends an excessive amount of food waste to landfills (around double that Sweden produces per capita). By adopting methods like Bokashi composting (which is really popular in Sweden) and pursuing vigorous waste reduction actions, we could see a significant drop. In fact we should aim for zero food waste in our households – it’s a win win.