Published by Allen Brown
Waste of food is increasing its roots in all corners of the world. In Ontario there is a growing awareness of the environmental and economic costs of food wasted. Students of Ontario are at a crucial position in making differences in reducing food waste in campus and in student’s life. So my article will address some easy ways to reduce food waste for students. For students juggling academic responsibilities with environmental concerns, services that write paper for me like Academized can be helpful. Academized is an online platform that provides professional writing assistance, allowing students to focus on important issues like waste reduction while ensuring their academic work is completed to a high standard.
1. Understand the Impact of Food Waste
Before discussing solutions, it is important to further examine why food waste is such a big deal. In the environment, food waste creates greenhouse gases, cuts down rainforests and wastes water. Financially, there is a loss of food and money at both house-hold and national levels. Students can understand these impacts and begin to comprehend why it is important to reduce food waste.
Students can start by considering these facts:
- Environmental Impact: Food waste contributes to about 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
- Economic Loss: Canadians waste approximately $1,100 worth of food per household every year.
- Resource Depletion: It takes a lot of water, energy and land to grow food and a lot of this food goes to waste.
Because knowing what these impacts are allows us to motivate students to take meaningful steps towards reducing waste in their own lives.
2. Plan Your Meals Wisely
One of the most useful things people can do to reduce food waste is to plan ahead meals. For example, when undergrads make meal plans, they buy only what they need and don’t have to throw away food before it’s used.
To plan meals effectively:
- Plan Weekly Menu: What are you going to make for the week (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks)?
- Make A Shopping List: Make a detailed list of all the ingredients you need to buy for your weekly menu and stick to that list when shopping.
- Check what you have at home: Check your cupboards and fridge to avoid buying things you already have.
In the second step of the process, students will lessen the amount of food wasted, save some money in the long run, and be able to have healthier meals.
3. Store Food Properly
There is a right way to put food away, and if students know it, they should feel confident that their groceries will stay fresh much longer than when they just return from the store and toss everything in the fridge. Many students don’t know how to store food properly, and what they do know, the things that they’ve learned, many of them don’t do, because eating just doesn’t feel like it matters.
Below is a table comparing different storage methods for various types of food:
| Food Type | Best Storage Method | Shelf Life |
| Fresh Vegetables | Store in the crisper drawer of the fridge | 1-2 weeks |
| Bread | Store in a cool, dry place or freeze | 3-5 days (room temp), 3 months (frozen) |
| Dairy Products | Keep in the coldest part of the fridge | 1-2 weeks after opening |
| Cooked Meals | Refrigerate in airtight containers | 3-4 days |
| Meat and Fish | Store in the fridge (use within 1-2 days) or freeze | 1-2 days (fridge), 3-4 months (frozen) |
The three suggestions aim to help students avoid wasting food by finishing their meals before the food goes bad.
4. Get Creative with Leftovers
Leftovers are a major contribution to the amount of food that ends up in waste but, with some imagination in the kitchen, students can turn leftovers into new meals, saving money as well.
Some tips for using leftovers:
- Combine Leftovers: Mix leftover vegetables, rice, or meat into a stir-fry, casserole, or soup.
- Reinvent your ingredients: yesterday’s bread makes rebounded croutons (or crumbs) and stale fruit, smoothies or cake.
- Froze For A Rainy Day: If you can’t consume leftovers right away, toss them in the freezer to take out for easy eating later on.
Upcycling leftovers, using them for something else can lead students to decrease the waste of their meals, whilst increasing the appeal of their lunch without the cost.
5. Participate in Food Sharing Initiatives
Beyond that, sharing food waste is an effective way to reduce food waste. Ontarian campuses and communities have food sharing options which allow students to share food waste with others. Such programs provide various benefits, including helping to solve food insecurity issues students might face. While focusing on these important initiatives, students can also benefit from the best assignment help and essay writing services to manage their academic workload effectively, ensuring they have time to participate in food sharing and waste reduction programs.
Some ways to get involved include:
- Food Banks: Donate non-perishable items to local food banks or campus food pantries.
- Community Fridges: These are public fridges where people can leave or take surplus food.
- Food-Rescue Programmes: you can help companies like the Food Recovery Network, which collects surplus food from restaurants and markets to feed those who are hungry.
Through participation in these programmes, students can be a part of easing the food waste problem, and working together as a community.
6. Educate and Advocate
Education, by reducing food waste, can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Nowadays, students have the opportunity to learn about, preach and reduce food waste. Moreover, they can advocate that the university implement better food waste management policy and practices on the university campus.
Ways to educate and advocate:
- Host Workshops: Organise workshops or seminars on food waste reduction strategies.
- Social media campaigns: use Facebook and other social media to disseminate messages about food waste and how to reduce it.
- Partner with Campus Groups: Develop partnerships with student groups that are focused on composting programmes, food recovery, and sustainable eating initiatives.
By doing so, students can help create a sustainable culture on campus – and off.
7. Compost What You Can
Even the most careful among us do not escape it and composting is the best way to recycle our biodegradable waste at home or on campus. There are compost stations on many different campuses in Ontario and many students are taking the initiative to start compost bins at home.
To start composting:
- Collect Organic Waste: Collect kitchen waste, peelings from fruit and vegetables, crushed egg shells, coffee spillages and grounds.
- Get Composting: Use campus compost bins, community composting solutions, or home composting bins.
- Compost for the Garden: If you have the ability to garden, use it to enrich soil and grow some of your own food.
Composting diverts food waste from the trash and returns these nutrients to the Earth, creating a more sustainable food system.
Conclusion
Food waste is a task that we all share but can be mitigated by students in Ontario by being more conscious and attempting the following actions: Understand and be knowledgeable about the growing problem food waste is causing.Plan when selecting what to eat.Store food correctly.Use leftovers with creativity.Join a food share by trading excess food for something you may need or want.Educate friends and family about the best methods to reduce food waste advocate for reducing food waste.Compost to convert food scraps to fertiliser. These actions will not only reduce waste overall but also save money as well as support the community and the environment.
FAQ
Q: How can I reduce food waste if I have a busy schedule?
Make sure to plan your meals in advance and be organised, cook ingredients in advance and freeze meals you have prepared in bulk. Make sure to use your freezer and store food in the most efficient way to keep your food for as long as possible.
Q: What can I do with leftover food scraps?
If you have any leftover food scraps, use them for composting, making broths and adding them to new dishes, such as stir-fries and soups. Or, if you have peelings or carcasses, you can simply freeze them until you’re ready to create some stock.
Q: How does food waste contribute to climate change?
Food waste in landfills produce methane gas that is a greenhouse gas, and directly contributes to climate change.By reducing food waste, greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced.
Q: What are some easy meals to make from leftovers?
If possible, always buy tomatoes already chopped up and peppers already diced. Stir-fries, soups and casseroles are good outlets for leftovers, as are salads. Stale bread for bread crumbs or croutons?
Q: How can I get involved in food waste reduction on campus?
Participate in – or start – a food-sharing scheme, campaign for a composting scheme, or learn about how to reduce food waste by hosting a workshop yourself; volunteer with a local food rescue organisation.