Food waste in our homes is a major problem throughout the year, and over the Christmas holidays we waste more than ever. In fact, household waste skyrockets by 30% and we spend over $550 million on food alone!

The holiday season is a time when sharing food is a way of showing love and celebrating with family and friends. No one wants to see beautiful food end up in the bin, so follow these easy tips to help you to waste less and have a more sustainable Christmas season.

10 ways to be sustainable this Christmas

Make space!

Give your fridge and freezer and good clean up in the weeks leading up to Christmas, so you have plenty of room for your festive food and leftovers.

Buy what you need

Although we like to pack our fridge to the max at this time of year, resist the temptation to over buy. Start by planning your food, think about how many people are eating and what you’ll cook? Check what you have in stock, write a list and stick to it!

Leftover love

There will always be leftovers at this time of year.  To make sure they are good to eat the next day, store in airtight containers or use silicon lids and bees wax wraps – avoid cling film and aluminium foil – and don’t forget to eat them!

It’s a wrap!

Wrap gifts in newspaper, reusable cloth or a tea towel instead of wrapping paper – you’ll save money too! Reuse ribbons and decorations

Portion control

Once you have laid out your festive feast, let guests serve themselves and encourage them to come back for seconds instead of over filling plates!

X-mas experience

To avoid unwanted gifts, buy your loved ones an experience they will remember, instead of something that may end up in the bin. Aussies receive over 20 million unwanted gifts at Christmas time – much of which ends up in landfill.

Carve it up!

Carve meats such as turkey and ham from the bone to make sure it stays fresh and avoid it drying out.  Slices can be frozen (with go-between to separate) in a container for up to 3 months

Creative cooking

Not sure what to do with your leftovers?  Get creative and google the ingredients for recipe suggestions.  Try our ‘Roast Fritters’ – simply combine roast leftovers with ham, eggs, cheese, olive oil and flour. Heat oil and fry in pan until golden brown.

 

Freezer ease

Use the freezer as a pause button for any food you won’t eat in time. This way the Christmas feast lives on!

Back to earth

Food that can’t be saved should be composted or put worm farm at home. If you don’t have this option, take food scraps to a local community garden or give to a local food waste warriors through apps such as sharewaste.For more tips on how to fight food waste, head to fightfoodwaste.org