Save Money By Zipping Towards Zero Waste

31st May 2024, Carin Clegg, APD

What would you do with $2500? This is how much it costs the average Australian household to throw away over 300kg of food to landfill every year.  This waste accounts for 10% of the environmental impacts from food. That is huge! And it is something which, if we all decide to do our bit, can make a big impact to healing our planet and living more harmoniously. 

There is no doubt about it, humans living on planet Earth are contributing negatively to the natural environment with more adverse weather events negatively impacting our food supply.  On a farm level this means in the future farmer’s may not be able to produce the same foods on their land as they use to, they will be even more likely to use more harmful chemicals to increase their yields or give up farming.  Tackling our food waste at home is something we can all contribute to and make a difference on a local community and food supply level too.

I like to call my journey Zipping towards Zero Waste. Think of every tooth in the zip representing an action towards a zero-waste change. I am one side of the zip and everyone else in my world is the other side of the zip. We both have to work together to zip up and achieve a zero-waste lifestyle or one that minimises it’s impact on the Earth. Sometimes we unzip, you know, life happens, as humans we cannot cope with too much change in our lives at one time, so it is perfectly normal to revert back to old more comfortable habits but if we keep up those good intentions, we eventually get back on track and keep zipping on up.

Working towards zero food waste going to landfill involves creating some routines and strategies in your household.

Meal Planning

Meal planning is the first most important step. I find a 2 weekly rotational menu changed up seasonally works really

 well for some families.  For others, just having an idea of 2-3 meals you will make that week and being creative with the ingredients you have in stock works too.

Healthy eating and eating a sustainable, zero waste diet, involves cooking the majority of your meals at home from fresh, wholesome, nutritious ingredients. I recommend when you meal plan, you also allocate who in the household is cooking or helping with the cooking the meals to make light work.

Having a ‘scratch dinner’ night is another great strategy. You could be inspired by Surprise Chef, find whatever leftovers can you put on toast, whack in a soup or stew or add to an omelette.  You could also just let people choose what they can scratch around to find, like cheese on toast, cheese, dip and salad platter, brinner: aka cereal, or frozen leftovers.

Savy Shopping Strategies

Shopping lists are a must. Making a shopping list, involves checking what you already have so you buy only what you need. In my household, often just before we go shopping the fridge looks empty, meaning you can see pretty much everything in it, increasing the likelihood of eating what needs to be eaten as well as to clean.

Making a shopping list also ensures you do not over buy, and know that what you do buy will more likely get eaten. For instance, yoghurt gets eaten a lot quicker in warmer month in my household, so in the cooler months it might not be put on the list as often. Many families use shopping list apps where they can communicate what is needed when they are not physically together.

Allocating one day a week that you do the shopping is a great strategy to help you buy only what you need for the week. Remember to stick to the list, avoid going to the shops hungry and letting that impulse buying take hold. 

Buying seasonal produce ensures food will be not only the best quality, last longer but be cheaper too. It may mean that you need to adapt your meal plans and get creative with some recipes and be versatile with vegetables. Check out what is in season here.

Composting

Composting is so important, diverting carbon emission releasing waste in landfills, to garden gold which helps to sink carbon when growing plants successfully.

First you need a compost tub. I have tried many containers but I find the easiest, best sized, safest, less breakable, and less messy option is a 1L ice-cream container.

Line it with some paper- this contributes to your brown layer, then put in your food scraps. Just trying not to fill it so it is emptied less often can be a great challenge in itself. You could have multiple containers to take to places you visit like your work or family and friend’s homes when you visit and even on holiday. Hopefully you can inspire them too.

Secondly, you need a compost bin, There are lots of ways to compost:

• A regular compost bin:
  • Remember to layer with brown and green or dead and alive layers
    • Brown: paper including shredded paper, paper towel/serviettes that have cleaned an oily pan, carboard, natural fibres like clothes and linen
    • Green: anything that came from a plant including coffee grounds, but limiting too much citrus and grain foods like bread. Egg shells, vacuum cleaner dust and hair are OK too.
  • Avoid all other animal products is usually best to start
  • Add water and keep moist
  • Turn with a compost fork

• Worm farm:
  • Pretty similar to composting without needing to turn, 
  • You will get some worm juice to fertilise your garden
  • You will get worm poo or castings, great fertilizer for your garden

• Bokashi fermenting compost bin:
  • Perfect for apartment dwellers and meat eaters.
  • Add all your food scraps including animal bones, citrus, cereal products, and spray with the fermenting spray.
  • You will also get some juice to fertilise your garden
  • You will need to dig a big hole or pot and bury it once it is full.

• Then there is the Share Waste app which connects composters to food scrap savers.

I believe everywhere should have a composting system: homes, schools, shopping centres, hospitals, restaurants. Some forward thinking, proactive, clever councils have introduced FOGO: Food Organics Garden Organics, where you can put your food scraps into the green bin for council collection. If your council is not doing this, you can write a letter to your local member requesting they do. Let’s help make a positive change and zip up together!

Join me at the Central Coast Harvest Festival at my Eat Like An Eco Warrior Workshop series to learn more about sustainable eating and get inspired to make changes to you and your family’s eating for a better world.