Food Scraps Program Tips

Tips for a successful food scraps program in your home.

THE HANDY KITCHEN PAIL: 

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-Use it to collect food scraps in your kitchen. When full, empty the pail into your Green Organics Cart. (Do NOT leave pail at the curb for collection).

-Line your food scraps pail with newspaper or a paper bag before filling it with food scraps. Paper absorbs moisture and odor, plus it’s compostable! Click here for instructions on how to make a food pail liner.

-When empty, wash it with warm soapy water in the sink.

GREEN ORGANICS CART TIPS:

-Layer/cover food waste with yard waste.

-Freeze or refrigerate wrapped food scraps before placing them in the cart.

-Keep the lid closed.

-Put the cart out weekly for service (even if it isn’t full).

-When the cart is empty, rinse it out over a landscaped area using only water.

REMEMBER: PLEASE AVOID USING PLASTIC BAGS! THANK YOU!

AVOID WASTING FOOD.

Californians throw away nearly 6 million tons of food scraps or food waste each year. Everyone has a role in saving resources and wasting less food. Rather than throwing away excess food, find ways to manage it more thoughtfully.

UNDERSTANDING FOOD PRODUCT DATE LABELS:
For a PDF file of this information, click here.

“Best if Used By/Before”
Indicates when a product will be of best flavor/quality. Not a purchase/safety date.

“Sell-By”
Tells the store how long to display the product for sale for inventory management. Not a safety date.

“Use-By”
Last date recommended for use of the product while at peak quality. Not a safety date except when used on infant formula.

Regardless of the date, consumers should always evaluate the quality of food prior to its consumption.

For more information, visit: USDA

BE FOOD-WISE

Before discarding food, try these tips* to extend the life of your food and reduce food waste!

Wilted Food – Soaking in ice water for 5 to 10 minutes may reinvigorate wilted veggies.

Stale Food – Toast stale chips and crackers for a minute or two in a regular or toaster oven to crisp them.

Salty Food – Add vinegar, lemon juice, or brown sugar—or dilute a soup or sauce with water, crushed tomatoes or unsalted broth.

*Waste Free Kitchen Handbook, Dana Gunders, 2015. http://www.danagunders.com

For a printable version of this information in English, please click here.
To view this information in another language, please use the translate feature in the upper left corner.

FOR MORE FOOD SAVING RESOURCES:

https://www.nrdc.org/issues/food

www.savethefood.com

www.stopfoodwaste.org