SUSTAINABLE OVERTON
working as a community to combat climate change
The Zero Food Waste Challenge
WELCOME TO THE SUSTAINABLE OVERTON ZERO FOOD WASTE CHALLENGE
Would you like to reduce your food waste and save money on your food bills? Dip into our resources here. And help save the planet at the same time.
Why is this such a problem?
​
The average family could save £70 per month by not throwing away food. That’s a third of our grey bins in Hampshire, and contributes 8% to global warming. The reasons are many and varied: lack of time to cook, fridges that are not cold enough so food goes off quickly, not storing various foods correctly so they go off fast, buying too much and things go off in the fridge, not knowing what you can freeze and how, lack of meal planning, cooking too much food, fussy eaters, and often it’s just very busy families with lack of time to plan. The good news is that it’s easy for us all to make some improvements to reduce this. The solutions will be different for each of us and we've got some ideas below.
8% of global warming is due to food waste
TAKE THE CHALLENGE!
​
This 7 step challenge gives tips and activities to help you re-evaluate your food waste habits regardless of your lifestyle. This guide will help you rethink how you buy, use and throw away food. It will also help you save money and do your bit for the environment.
STEP 1: WEIGH-IN
Simply collect all the food that gets thrown away during a normal day in a container and weigh it – or just take a photo as a record – just do what you would normally do. This might be stuff the kids didn’t eat, some leftovers nobody fancies, stuff that’s gone off or out of date in the fridge, or mouldy in the fruitbowl or breadbin. You could try this for 3 days to get an idea of an average waste. It’s worth doing this stage instead of skipping it – as they say you can’t measure anything unless you know where you’re starting from.
STEP 2: MAKE A MEAL PLAN & BUY ONLY WHAT YOU NEED
Make a meal plan for the next 5 days or so – why not get the whole family involved for some inspiration. Check what you already have in the fridge, freezer or store cupboard before you make your shopping list.
Click here to view an example of a meal planner you could use. Click here for a simple shopping list template too.
or of course use the back of an envelope.
For the more tech amongst us Copy Me That is a great website that generates shopping lists from your chosen recipes.
STEP 3: SAVVY STORAGE
Check out some great storage tips here at the lovefoodhatewaste.com website for some brilliant ideas. You may be pleasantly surprised at some of the things that you can freeze. There's some more great store cupboard ideas and savings here too on an inspirational website dedicated to canned food recipes.
Also, check your fridge temperature here. The average UK fridge is too hot, causing food to go off quickly – or in the worst cases cause potential food poisoning. The hints and tips explain how to set the fridge dial if you have one, or you can buy a fridge thermometer for less than a pound.
Have a go at our quiz and see how you’re doing.
Click Here to head back up
STEP 4: PORTION SIZES
how do you measure your rice, pasta or spaghetti? We have some easy ways to do this here. That way you can either cook exactly what you need, or deliberately cook more and have a plan with what you want to do with them the next day.
STEP 5: BATCH COOKING
Batch cooking when you have a couple of yours to spare is a great way to save time, energy and money later during the week when you can quickly pull a delicious meal together in next to no time. For example you can make a double portions of lasagne, white sauce, curry sauce, soup, and freeze them. A good use for those plastic takeaway container.
When you do have leftovers, if you have some yummy ideas up your sleeve then you can turn them into a successful meal. Hampshire County Council's Smart Living for some good recipes and ideas
​
​
STEP 6: EAT EVERYTHING THAT YOU BUY
Get into the habit of eating up what’s left over at the end of the week – be that some crinkly apples, bread that’s about to go stale (you can make into breadcrumbs for a nice crispy topping, or freeze for later), milk that’s about to go out of date (fruit smoothies for the whole family). Or what we call an “all in scoff” meal – making a big pie or stew with all the leftover vegetables, maybe topped with some potato slices. Tell us what your favourite leftover meal is by clicking here
STEP 7: FINAL WEIGH-IN
You did it! Now try collecting any leftovers for 3 days and see what difference you have made. Why not share this on our social media? We would love to hear what worked for you and your family.
