Zero Waste Week – Day 3 Challenge: Food Storage

Zero Waste Week comes with a particular mantra:

“We don’t need a few people doing Zero Waste perfectly. We need millions doing Zero Waste imperfectly”

It’s a message that’s important to get across. Taking a zero waste mindset is an iterative process that requires evolution and adaptation; there’s no one-size-fits-all solution because everyone’s needs, capabilities and situations are different. One universal truth though is that the issue with food waste needs resolving.

Consider these Stats

On average, households in the UK throw away around 22% of their weekly food shop per year.

Every day in the UK we throw away:

• 20 million slices of bread
• 6 million potatoes
• 4 million bananas

The food and drink we waste, that could have been eaten 4.5 million tonnes) would fill:

• 8 Wembley Stadiums (London, UK)
• 90 Royal Albert Halls
• 38 million wheelie bins (based on a standard 240l)
• 3,600 Olympic sized swimming pools
• 490,000 bin lorries/dustcarts

These numbers are pretty terrible but not hopeless. Every household and every business has the power to make a difference and one of the the ways we can do this, is our relationship with food storage itself.

Zero Waste Week: Day 3 Challenge: Sharing Your Food Storage Solutions

Better food storage can mean better food consumption and better food preservation. Yesterday, we talked about using what you have and making space in the freezer but today we want to know about tips you have for food storage and seek out some new ones.

Challenge: Share your best food storage tip with a friend, colleague or on social media using #ZeroWasteWeek 

If you missed it, I talked about the idea of an Eat Me First Shelf on Monday. This is probably my favourite food storage idea. The best bit of advice I can give though is to be aware of what can and cannot be frozen, as freezing is an efficient means of preservation. If you’re ever unsure if freezing is an invalid storage solution, reach out to Google or the Zero Waste community.