Food waste in Brisbane

• Plan your meals - Check your fridge, freezer and pantry before you shop. Use a shopping list or app, avoid shopping when you're hungry and shop mindfully to save up to $141 per year.
• Choose simple recipes with versatile ingredients. Less is better - aim for four to five ingredients.
• Check portion size before cooking a meal and how many people you are cooking for. Households can save up to $412 annually by being mindful of portion size and cooking volume.
• Check your fridge before ordering takeaway. A simple meal is often quicker than ordering in. Takeaway food also contributes to packaging waste.
• Involve your children when preparing school lunches. Seeking your kids 'okay', helps prevent food from being left untouched in lunchboxes or thrown in the bin.
• Store food to keep it visible and fresh - Check out our top storage tips.
• Know your date labels - 'best before' dates provide a guide on how long you can expect food to retain its quality, whereas 'use by' dates specify when the food needs to be eaten for health and safety reasons. Many dairy products are safe to eat if they smell fresh and appear unspoiled.
• Grow your own vegetables, fruits and herbs. Food can be grown in backyards, on balconies, windowsills or in community gardens.
• Purchase only what you need. Buy individual items rather than in bulk. Shop at a local farmer's market so you can buy loose, fresh, locally grown produce.
• Choose imperfect fruit and vegetables from available stores and online retailers to save food from going to waste while saving on your grocery spend.

• Use up your leftovers by:
  • dedicating one night a week to using leftover food
  • creating an eat-me-first shelf in your fridge, freezer or pantry
  • take your leftovers to work for lunch
  • repurpose leftovers into another meal.
• Preserve, pickle and ferment to extend the life of some food. 
• Use clear containers to store food so you can see leftover food when you open your fridge. 
• Use labels on food items in your pantry and fridge and keep them front-facing so you can easily see what you have.
• Freeze food before it goes off. Bananas, strawberries, bread and meat freeze well. Cut up fruit before you freeze it to use for smoothies, breakfast and desserts.
• Mark up frozen food with the date you place it in the freezer. This helps to use the oldest items first.
• Substitute ingredients with what you have. If a recipe calls for an ingredient you don't have, replace it with something you do have.
• Check school lunchboxes before offering an afternoon snack. Any leftovers can have a second chance.

• Compost your food scraps. Keep a kitchen caddy or sealed container on your kitchen bench to collect food scraps before and after meals. Other food waste recycling methods include using a bokashi bin and worm farms. By composting food waste and feeding it to worms, it can be broken down naturally before it starts to emit harmful gases and used to fertilise your garden - chemical-free!
• Regrow your food scraps. There are easy ways to regrow your food scraps and plants in your garden to fully close the food cycle. Learn more by joining your local community garden.

• Feed food scraps to your pets. Check the RSPCA guides about what is safe to feed animals.
• Use your citrus peel. Soak citrus peel in water overnight to make a cleaning spray. 

As a last resort, put your food scraps in your general waste bin.