Remains of the Day

What’s in your trash? A few moldy apples, half a can of spoiled tomato paste, limp veggies, Saturday’s leftovers? That might not seem like much, but it adds up: The average household creates about 1.28 pounds of daily waste, equal to 14 percent of the family’s food purchases.

It’s bad enough that discarded items take up space in landfills. But rotting food also releases methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

The good news: We can reduce food waste. Here, experts tell us how to shop and eat a little more carefully.

Watch Your Trash

For one week, take note of what’s in your trash. Don’t just look at it, but analyze everything that goes in the bin or down the disposal. (If you’re really serious, you might jot down your observations in a notebook.) 

Then adjust your habits. If you threw away half a box of stale cereal, either buy a smaller box or store cereal in an airtight container immediately after opening. If week-old leftovers are still taking up real estate, prepare less next time or make a more conscious effort to eat the remainder (for instance, pack it in your lunch bag and leave a note reminding yourself to take it to work). 

“When you pinpoint why and what you toss, you can make changes to your behavior,” says Jonathan Bloom of wastedfood.com.

Reorganize the Fridge

Keep an orderly fridge, and you won’t push ingredients to the back and forget them. “Knowing what you have is more important than you think,” Bloom says. 

In addition to cleaning out the fridge once a week, keep leftovers as well as odds and ends (half-eaten onions or sweet potatoes) in sight. Bloom stores them in clear plastic containers and then places them in the front upside down, since “it’s easier to see the contents.”