Measuring Your Food Waste

Nobody likes wasting money and most of us get very bothered when we throw out food. The thing is, why is it that we are all still wasting so much??

Usually when we throw out food it goes in the bin and is quickly forgotten about. Usually we don’t really think about the reasons – and if we do we forget pretty quickly and do it all over again the next time.

So in order to really know what food you waste you need to separate it out from all the other stuff you throw in the bin. This sounds kind of messy but actually it is very straight forward. If you have a brown bin you are probably doing it already. The following shows you in 3 easy steps how you can do this.

 

Step 1. Separate your food waste

Collect all your food waste in a separate container for at least a week.

Any container will do but make sure that it is large enough, has a tight fitting lid and is close to where you dispose of your food waste (near the sink is often the best place).

 

Step 2. Keep a record of what you throw out

During the week, as you have food waste to dispose of, put it in this container. Make a note of what and how much you are throwing out. If you can, then weigh it with a kitchen scales.

For this you can use our food waste recording sheet. Keep this close by – sticking it on the side of the fridge usually works fine. If you fill your container then dispose of the food as you would normally do.

 

Step 3. Identify the reasons that you have thrown food out

Each time you throw out food, keep a note of the reasons why.

We are creatures of habit and often waste food for the same reasons each week. If you find that you are constantly throwing out the same thing for the same reasons then this is a key thing that you can work to change.

 

Well – how did you do??

At the end of the week have a look at what you have wasted. If you have kept it all in one container you should weigh it just to see how much food you bin each week. If not, go through your recording sheet and add it all up.

The important thing is to look at the reasons. If you notice a trend in the reasons then this is the next thing to look at. For more check out our Stop Food Waste Challenge blog.