WASTED.
One of the most eye-opening documentaries I have seen. I had no idea 40% of food produced was going to the landfills… Wow. That is a huge amount of food when there are so many people in this world going hungry. The idea that the food waste we throw away is decomposing in a short amount of time is a myth. A head of lettuce takes 25 years to decompose fully. I HAD NO IDEA. Erik and I do a good job of buying vegetables we need and minimizing the waste but obviously we are not perfect. Throwing food waste in the garbage was not something I thought about, everyone does it. I had no idea it was so detrimental to the environment and there were solutions to these problems.
Erik and I subscribe to Imperfect Foods and receive a box of produce on a weekly basis. This company partners with grocery stores in order to limit the amount of food waste. Whether the produce is about to expire or it is ‘ugly’, they are trying to tackle the exact issue I just learned a lot more about.
Other than Imperfect Foods, there are companies that will compost FOR YOU. These are subscription based services as well that charge a monthly fee to pick up the compost right from your front door. Since we live in an apartment, composting has not always been the easiest thing to take on but these companies are making it easier to accomplish while making it harder to come up with excuses.
It was refreshing to see publicly acclaimed chefs creating high quality meals while also eliminating food waste. They are pairing with local farmers to retrieve the products that would never make it to the stores in the first place, the rejects, and creating works of art. Things that most people would define as garbage but they are revitalizing these underused items in order to help the environment. A man in the UK utilizing the heels of bread loaves to brew beer, such a simple idea but also significantly impacting the amount of food waste being produced. Let’s be honest, no one likes that part of the bread but when it’s used for beer, I’m on board.
The past several years Erik and I have made a conscious effort to minimize our footprint. No longer buying paper products in the kitchen, rather reusing cloth napkins and cleaning rags. Eliminating Seran Wrap, aluminum foil, and plastic bags rather, using reusable bags and tupperware for leftovers. Simple decisions that become habitual because ‘you’ve always done it that way’. By watching the documentary ‘Wasted’, I’m realizing there is a much larger issue at hand than I thought. It’s not just paper products or fast fashion, it’s food waste too.
This is outside of what I usually post about on my blog but the information had such a large impact, I felt compelled to share. If you need something for your home, go to the thrift store. When getting into crafts, I have learned to utilize the thrift store as a huge resource. People are constantly getting rid of quality items to make room for newer, ‘better’ models. I have gotten flower pots, mason jars, material for sewing, yarn for knitting, and there’s so much more. Yes, you have to spend a bit more time sifting through the piles of items but in my opinion it’s well worth it.
If you have a moment to spare, I highly recommend watching ‘Wasted’! It is a well-done documentary with high quality information. There are simple adjustments we can make as humans to limit the amount of waste and assist with improving the issue. I still have much more to learn and there is still progress to be made in my food waste journey but knowing the issue is the first step to achieving success.
“The only way forward, if we are going to improve the quality of the environment, is to get everybody involved.” – Richard Rogers
