Did you know that the typical household in the United States throws away 22 pounds of food each month when grocery shopping? That’s nearly half a trash bag full of groceries every week. With all this unnecessary waste in landfills, you’ll never have to worry about where your next meal will come from again. So let’s put a stop to our wasteful habits and learn how to keep our kitchens tidier.
Step 1: Install the garbage bin.
Buy a large garbage bin that can accommodate all of your trash. For optimum results, set aside a space in your room where you will keep all of your garbage. Remember, this system is designed to work with the least amount of effort on your part, so focus on building it efficiently and avoid wasting room or money.
Step 2: Add bins for each food group.
When creating your grocery disposal system, it’s essential to sort your trash effectively. We will be dividing waste into four bins:
- Meat and dairy
- Grains and pasta,
- Produce
- Junk food
You’ll only have to throw away one garbage bag at the end of the week.
Meat and Dairy Bin
Glance through your refrigerator every morning. If you find any meat or dairy products about to expire, throw them away immediately. To minimize the risk of food-borne illnesses, avoid tossing items in this bin that have already gone bad. Just make sure they’re out of sight, and you won’t have to worry about them.
Grains and Pasta Bin
Bins for grains and pasta are similar to the meat and dairy bins because they are perishable food products. However, after spending time in a microwave or fridge, some grains and pasta products can lose more than 50% of their nutritional value. Therefore, if you have a lot of these foods in your fridge and you will not use them soon, it’s best to throw them out as quickly as possible.
Produce Bin
Produces like fruits and vegetables should be thrown out immediately. To prevent food-borne illnesses such as salmonella and E. coli, it’s best to dispose of foods about to spoil before they are even in danger.
Junk Food Bin
Because you will use this bin for non-perishable foods, it will involve minimal effort with the garbage disposal. However, if you have any items like canned foods or hostess cupcakes that are about to expire, make sure you throw them out immediately.
Step 3: Invest in an automated system.
An automated system is a great way to ensure that your kitchen stays tidy and organized. For example, having a trash can with a sensor won’t even have to worry about lifting the lid. You can then program the sensor to perform an automatic pickup every evening or at certain times of the day. As a bonus, automated systems are very convenient. You’ll never have to worry about overflowing bags or messy trash cans again. They’re the perfect solution.
Step 4: Get creative and make your system.
Designing your trash disposal system is not bad if you’re passionate about improving your kitchen. You can even use the following steps as a template:
Meal Planner
We’ll start with meal planning, one of the most important ways to save money in today’s economy. If you plan out your meals in advance, you won’t need to travel to the supermarket as often since you won’t need as much food. In addition, knowing which foods you’ll need to purchase will save you money and keep you from wasting food. Please make a list of the goods nearing their expiration dates and include them in the appropriate category when you prepare your meal plan. You can use an Excel template or a notebook if you’re more comfortable with paper.
TrashYard
We’ll be building on top of the meal planner for our trash disposal system. First, we will need to create a schedule that instructs you when to throw trash away. For example, if you plan to have grilled chicken for dinner tonight, you’ll want to put the expired meat bin out before leaving for work. Based on this schedule, you can learn the best times of day to put each category of trash out. To reach the aim, you should minimize the number of hours spent each week organizing and bagging food.
Trash Tote
With the system up and running, it’s time to plan. First, make sure that you have a trash bag for each category, and remember to schedule the bags according to your meal planner. Then, each week, while grocery shopping, throw away any items that have gone bad and make sure you only buy the foods listed on your meal planner. If you follow this system diligently, you’ll be able to avoid food waste and save lots of money.
Step 5: Follow the 3 Rs.
The 3 Rs are three different ways to keep your kitchen organized, reduce food waste, and save money. You’ll have to put in a little effort at first, but I promise it will be worth it. Here’s what you need to do:
- Recycle: Recycling is a great way to reduce food waste and unnecessary expenses. If you have any old plastic bottles or containers that you’ll never use again, don’t throw them away. Instead, try to recycle them at your local grocery store. For example, many stores will accept used plastic bags if they are free of food waste. Without worrying about them cluttering up your kitchen, you can get rid of these items.
- Reuse: A related method is reusing food scraps instead of throwing them away. For instance, you can use it as bread crumbs for meat if you have old bread. Most foods that go bad in your refrigerator are still edible and can be eaten if cooked properly. You have to get creative and test out new recipes. Although, for example, you might develop new ways to prepare old meats or dairy products, some people will throw away expired fruits and vegetables without realizing that these items are still edible. In this case, you can consume them in smoothies or even turn them into frozen drinks.
- Rot: If you want to get the most out of your kitchen and have a strong stomach, you can start composting. Composting is the natural way to break down food scraps (fruits, veggies, and meats) instead of throwing them away. It’s better to purchase a backyard composting bin to achieve this. You can then put all your food scraps into this bin, and they will break down into the soil over time. This is a great way to simultaneously reduce food waste and grow your garden.
Step 6: Check online grocery stores.
If you like to shop for groceries online rather than in a physical store, you’re in luck. There are a lot of popular sites that will deliver groceries right to your door. These types of websites have been gaining popularity over the years because they allow people to shop for their meals without going to the store in person.
When using a service like this, it’s best to check your order carefully before placing it. This way, you won’t have to return any items later on. Also, make sure that you only buy the things you’re going to use. Otherwise, you’ll throw these foods away in just a few days and pay extra for them.
Step 7: Shop at discount grocery stores.
Discount grocery stores are a terrific way to save money on your groceries. These sites provide everything you need to maintain a healthy lifestyle (healthy food and supplements) but at a fraction of the price. This can be great for people trying to avoid food waste and save money. Just remember that expensive foods don’t always mean higher quality. For example, just because your favorite cereal is cheaper doesn’t mean it’ll taste better or be better for you in the long run.
Step 8: Only buy what you need.
Only buy what you need to save money and minimize food waste. When we purchase unneeded goods that spoil, we squander a lot of food. Another difficulty is buying too much and wasting some of it. Make a shopping list and stick to it to avoid this. Doing this for a week will limit the amount of food that goes bad.
Step 9: Use the meat and produce clearance center at the supermarket.
Use the grocery store’s produce clearance department to reduce food waste. This center sells overstock items that have gone bad or could not be sold at full price due to damage. You can get some great items such as eggs, bread, and milk here that you can’t find anywhere else. Reduce unwise purchases by just buying what you need.
Step 10: Buy in bulk.
Buy in bulk if you’re looking for a last-ditch effort to save money on your groceries from discount stores like dollar shops! This store sells overstocked groceries, usually priced at $1 or less. However, you can generally get some good deals on items such as fruit and meat. You’ll also find that these shop offers more products than most other grocery stores, which means less perishable food is thrown away due to spoilage.
Conclusion
We’ve discussed many strategies that you can use to reduce food waste and save money. Make sure you only buy what’s actually on your list every time you shop and avoid buying excessive amounts of things that go bad before they’re eaten. Also, make sure you always check the expiration dates of your food. Finally, keep a light track of your groceries to avoid buying things you don’t need.
Another great way to fight food waste is by taking care of your refrigerator. If it’s not running correctly, it won’t be able to keep the food fresh, and you’ll end up throwing it away before it’s eaten. Also, make sure that you only buy items you’re going to eat and avoid throwing away foods that are still edible. Doing so is easier by applying the money-saving advice we’ve provided here. You may prevent wasting a lot of food if you follow these tips.