Simple Ways to Waste Less Food

As school schedules, fall activities and busier routines return, September is a good time to rethink how food moves through your household. A little planning can help groceries go further, keep usable food from becoming waste and connect everyday meals with Columbia’s broader sustainability goals.

Start by wasting less

Back-to-school routines can mean more packed lunches, snacks on the go and quick weeknight meals. One simple place to start is with what you already have. The City’s Office of Sustainability recommends finding ways to use leftovers, including freezing food and repurposing ingredients in other meals. The City also encourages choosing seasonal and locally grown food when possible and being thoughtful about how much food you prepare to help reduce what goes uneaten.

Reducing food waste also connects directly to Columbia’s climate goals. The City’s current Climate Action and Adaptation Plan implementation review identifies reducing landfill waste and increasing waste diversion as an ongoing climate action priority. It also notes that there is significant opportunity to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions by diverting materials that could instead be recycled or composted.

Compost what you can’t use

Some food scraps are unavoidable. That is where composting can help.

According to the City, home composting can reduce a household’s waste by more than 30%. Keeping food scraps and other organic materials out of the municipal landfill also helps reduce methane emissions, while finished compost can be used as a soil amendment in gardens and landscaping.

If you are interested in composting but do not know where to begin, the City offers free composting workshops that cover different ways to manage kitchen scraps and yard waste at home. This September, residents can attend a Bokashi composting workshop on Sept. 8 or a vermicomposting workshop on Sept. 10 at the Capen Park Compost Demonstration Site. Bokashi uses a sealed-container fermentation process, while vermicomposting uses red wiggler worms and can be done indoors or outdoors.

Explore Columbia’s local food community

Food choices can also connect households with resources right here in Columbia. The City’s Office of Sustainability supports local food production through the CoMo Common Ground Community Gardens as part of its work to increase food security and access to fresh, healthy and locally sourced food. The program currently includes four garden sites serving more than 200 people.

That same City resource is a good starting point for exploring more of Columbia’s local food community. It includes information about community garden opportunities as well as local farmers markets and food stands, including the Columbia Farmers Market, Boone County Farmers Market and North Village Arts District Farmers and Artisans Market. Supporting local food production and community gardens is also part of Columbia’s ongoing climate planning work.

This fall, start with the food already on your plate. Use what you have, compost what you can, and take some time to explore the local food resources available across Columbia. Small changes to everyday food routines can help households make the most of what they buy while supporting Columbia’s waste reduction and community resilience goals.