How important would it be for you to save approximately $1,500 a year? How important would it be to you to help Americans save $408 billion as a society every year just by making sure that the food you purchase is either consumed, rescued and given away to those who are struggling to afford food?

According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, “the majority of food Minnesotans throw out — about 62% — could have been eaten or donated.” The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has been performing “waste dives” into the trash that is delivered within both the metropolitan area as well as Greater Minnesota.

These waste dives help us to understand just how much food waste the landfill receives from residents and businesses in Lyon County. Of the food items that we throw into the trash, generally speaking, as a state, almost half of it could have been consumed. Lyon County does better but we could still eat almost ¼ of what food we throw away into the trash can. This food was still perfectly good to eat.

Of this number, less than 10% of what we threw away was unopened. The rest of the food waste that was found in our trash was food scraps that could have been composted. This includes such as items as potato peels, banana peels, or eggshells. There is also room for us to compost some paper and packaging that is compostable.

Minnesotans need to cut their food waste in half by 2030. This is food that we throw into the garbage that could have been consumed or donated and can include food scraps such as potato peelings or eggshells. So, how do we approach a more concerted effort in keeping food waste out of the trash bin?

As the holidays approach, now is a good time to start practicing how we can control food waste in our homes by doing a few simple things. The first is to shop with meals in mind. Make an effort to carefully look through your cupboards at home to see what you have and what you can use for meals for the week. Start building your shopping list from this point.

If you are preparing food for a family gathering and are not sure how much to purchase, go to Savethefood.com for their Guest-imator which can help you understand just how much turkey versus potatoes you may need (including how many left over meals you wish to have).

We can learn how to properly store food items such as fruit and vegetables. There are some that need to go into the refrigerator and some that do not. You may not need to store some items in the refrigerator if you know your family is going to consume them quickly. In my household, apples are always eaten quickly, so I don’t refrigerate them.

Prepare fresh food as soon as you get it home from the store. Fresh produce can be prepared as soon as you bring it home and by placing the prepared produce in clear, marked storage containers in your refrigerator, it will save time later in the week. If you have other items such as bread or meat that you know you will not be able to eat in time, use the freezer for these items.

In the battle against food waste, your freezer is your best friend! If an item is not consumed within two to three days, mark the container and the date, then place it into the freezer for use later. Remember to include looking through your freezer after you have looked through your cupboard for items that you can use for cooking that week!

Lastly, keep one shelf in your refrigerator and cupboard marked as “East First” with a small sign. This will help keep you and those in your family focused on what to eat first of the items you may have in your refrigerator.