What not to Waste Project
The ‘What Not to Waste’ programme has been designed to show how ordinary people can make a difference in York and North Yorkshire by reducing, reusing and recycling their food and garden waste. Eight local households from across York and North Yorkshire will take part in three challenges – to reduce, reuse and recycle their food waste – turning them from ‘wasters’ to ‘winners’ in only six weeks. The programme is designed to show how simple it is to make the necessary changes and your experiences will encourage others to make similar steps in their lives.
The What Not to Waste programme will culminate with an awards ceremony in December 2008 to celebrate the participants’ achievements.
The households are being set three challenges;
Challenge 1 – Get in the mood to recycle your food
Recycle as much of your food and garden waste as you can!
By composting your food and garden waste at home you can reduce your rubbish by up to a third. Not only that, you’ll also be making a great natural soil improver that you can use in the garden or in potted plants.
Each household has been given the opportunity to recycle their food waste. As part of launching the event, council officers and the York and North Yorkshire Rotters ran a speed composting events, giving residents a short time to see each of the compost bins and food waste digesters on offer, before choosing one of the options to take home with them.
Challenge 2 – Reduce your food waste – it’s all about tips…
The second challenge is to reduce your food waste with quick and easy tips.
Follow our simple steps at home to reduce the amount of food waste you produce. You’ll be surprised what a big difference these small changes can make to the amount you throw away and the amount of money you can save.
1. Get your portions right!
At one or other occasion, we’ve all ended up cooking a little bit too much food for dinner. It can happen very easily, in particular with pasta and rice. Here there are some tips on how to use the things you already have in your kitchen cupboards or drawers.
How to measure your perfect portions... (source: www.lovefoodhatewaste.com)
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Mug A 300ml mug is handy for measuring uncooked rice. 1 adult portion = 1/4 mug. |
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Tablespoon Good for measuring out portions of rice, beans and dried fruits. 1 adult portion = 3 heaped spoons |
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Spaghetti measurer Not sure how to measure pasta? Start with a spaghetti measurer |
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Weighing scales Use your weighing scales for accuracy. Follow the weight guide. |
Keep in mind that these are only guidance, and you may find that those portions are too big or too small for you. However, now you have some tips on how you can find your perfect portions at home: all you have to do is use your imagination and.... your kitchen!
2. A place for everything, and everything in its place…
Keep an eye on your fridge
A fridge thermometer will help householders to keep and eye in their fridge. Right temperature is 1-4 Celsius degrees.
EXTRA TIP: the best way of keeping your fridge working at its best is to be careful not to overfill it.
EXTRA TIP: Your bananas and pineapples will last longer if you keep them out of your fridge.
EXTRA TIP: Your fridge can also help you bring your carrots and cucumbers back to life. When they start getting soft, put them in a bowl of water in the fridge… and they’ll come back to life.
Make friends with your freezer
Storing things in the best possible way is very important. To help the householders through this challenge we are giving them plastic containers to put food and leftovers in, and freezeasy labels to mark the date and the food they are storing.
EXTRA TIP: Do you have a bit of cheese left and you don’t know what to do with it? Grate it and put in the freezer! You can then use it for toppings in pizzas or jacket potatoes.
EXTRA TIP: If you freeze your meat in strips you can use it at any time for some quick stir-frying.
EXTRA TIP: Slice fresh bagels and freeze them in plastic bags. When you want to eat a bagel, put it directly into a toaster. They pop golden and delicious!
For more tips visit Love Food Hate Waste website www.lovefoodhatewaste.com
Challenge Three: Shop smarter, and cook creative!
Your last challenge is to reuse your food ‘waste’ and shop smarter!
We also want to help your householders go through the credit crunch. The best way of saving time and money (while helping the environment) is not to waste food! The last challenge is about how to plan ahead to avoid wasting food.
1. What are your essentials?
One of the key points in your kitchen that will help you reduce food waste is to have some kitchen staples in order. Kitchen staples can be emergency ingredients to have a delicious meal at hand even when the fridge is looking bare. Also, they are a great resource to give us a hand using up leftovers.
Knowing your kitchen staples is going to make your shopping much easier, because you know you can count on certain ingredients to prepare your meals.
2. Keep planning ahead!
Kitchen staples are one thing to keep an eye on when we go shopping to make sure they are always there. But to save real time and money we want you to try planning the next two weeks.
To help our householders through this challenge, we’ve made a meal planner that should make it easier for them. All they have to do is think about the meals for the week in advance, check in their fridge, cupboard and freezer if they already have something that they can use (or something that needs to be used!) and then write what they need to buy to complete each meal. GIVE IT A TRY, IS SO EASY!
Things to remember before you go shopping
Best Before, Use By and Display Until dates: To know more about the facts behind the date labels visit the Food Standards Agency website: www.eatwell.gov.uk/foodlabels/labellingterms/
If you want recipes and ideas about leftovers recipes, don’t forget to visit Love Food Hate Waste website: