Hello and welcome to our first edition of the Value of Waste Online Journey!
In this interactive newsletter we want to explore household waste with you, diving deeper into practical solutions that aim to reduce waste and make the most out of the resources we already have.
In the first four chapters of this journey we will explore together the dimension of food and organic waste.
But before we dig into all the fun recipes, tips and tricks, let's stop a second and think about what food waste is.
According to the Cambridge dictionary, waste is "an unnecessary or wrong use of money, substances, time, energy, abilities, etc.", which would make food waste a wrong use of food. And when food is not meeting its purpose of being consumed, it is a whole other chain of things that is put to waste, ranging from the land and water necessary to grow it to the resources necessary for transportation and preservation.
Judging by these statistics, it seems that us consumers can play a big role in reducing green house gas emissions and food waste. But how do we do that?
That is exactly this project's goal, to share methods, tips and tricks to help people reduce their impact on a daily basis but also to learn to make the most out of their produce so that one third of our products don't end up in the bin.
Now let's see how much you already know by taking this short quiz!
Personally, my favorite part of reducing food waste is the creativity that goes into it, it is so fun to try out new things and to value my produce. Before we go deeper into this topic in the following months, here are a few things you can try out already!
1. THIS MONTH'S CHALLENGE:
Get an idea of what is in your trash bin
In order to effectively reduce your food waste and get started on this zero waste journey you need to get an idea of what goes into your trash bin.
A great way to do that is to use a "Food Waste Diary". It might seem a little demanding at first but it only takes a few seconds at a time and makes a huge difference in identifying the waste you produce and ways to reduce or prevent it.
Here is an example of a food waste diary inspired by the one of the European Food Information Council you can print out or copy and put up on your fridge.
Fill it up throughout the month and share with us on social media with the hashtag #valueofwaste or by tagging @vow.valueofvaste! It will help us get a sense of what tips would be the most useful for you in the future letters.
2. Find alternative ways to use these things
The internet is a very big place and it can be challenging to find ideas of what to do to reduce our food waste. Of course you can get a head start and get inspired by the wonderful world of zero waste alternatives.
But this is exactly what this project is for, making tips and tricks accessible so we'll dig into that from next month's letter. In the meantime we encourage you to let us know the type of "waste" you would like to see repurposed.
And stay tuned because exciting things are coming up!
3. Get creative!
We believe that the best way to learn is to try things out! So get ready to embark on this journey and share your experiments with us using the hashtag #valueofwaste or by tagging us @vow.valueofvaste.
You can follow our Instagram account here or by scanning the QR code!
You enjoyed this first letter and can't wait to dive into the topic?
Here are some local events that you can join this month!
If you aren't a subscriber yet, you enjoyed this letter and want to receive the next ones it's not too late!
References:
Cambridge Dictionary (2024) https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/waste
European Food Information Council (EUFIC) (2021) https://www.eufic.org/en/food-safety/article/food-waste-in-europe-statistics-and-facts-about-the-problem
European Food Information Council (EUFIC) (2021) https://www.eufic.org/en/food-safety/article/have-you-ever-tried-a-food-waste-diary
