“Cutting food waste is a delicious way of saving money, helping to feed the world and protect the planet”
Tristram Stuart
Congratulations! You’ve made it to the final week of the Just Eat It, Caledon! Food Waste Challenge. Over the last four weeks you have taken action on food waste in your home. It’s time to see how your new knowledge and skills have translated to a decrease in avoidable food waste.
Week Five – Challenge Activity:
This week you are going to complete a post audit of your avoidable food waste and determine if your new skills have made a difference in the amount of edible food that ends up in your green bin at the end of the week, not to mention a difference in the amount of money that goes to waste when edible food is discarded.
How does the Challenge Work?
Starting today, Monday February 15th, use the Greenlid bin provided in your Waste Reduction Challenge Kit to begin collecting any avoidable food waste. You may choose to line your bin with a few sheets of newspaper or use a compost bag, or just put the food directly in the bin. Keep in mind that you may have to empty it and refill it during the week.
When the bin is full, or on Sunday, whichever comes first, use a scale to weigh the contents of your bin. You do not have to empty the bin – just weigh the contents and bin together. Once you have the weight of the bin (in pounds), record the amount on your “Food Waste Audit” handout and multiply the weight by $3.60* to arrive at the estimated cost of that avoidable food waste.
Continue to fill and weigh your bin throughout the week until this challenge ends on Sunday February 21st. Tally the total cost of your avoidable food waste for the week. If you don’t have access to a scale, simply count and record the number of bags of avoidable food waste your household generates this week.
How did you do?
Eating less meat and dairy is one way take action on climate change. Check out some suggested actions from Greenpeace:
Great resource, Lu! It’s incredible to think that you can instantly reduce your own carbon footprint simply by eating less meat and diary.
Has anyone tried cashew cheese? It is surprisingly easy to make and has that nice salty tang that we often miss if we are cutting back on dairy cheese. Here is a recipe to try:
https://www.thefullhelping.com/go-to-cashew-cheese-recipe/
The emissions associated with how our food is grown, packaged, transported, consumed and wasted, mean that what we choose to eat is one of the largest contributors to climate change. Check out: This is the Best Way to Eat, for You and the Planet, https://www.chatelaine.com/food/plant-based-diet-health/ .