How much food do you waste,if none how do you manage that?

I have had to become blind to food waste possessing a toddler. Sudden "don't like it" combined with random bugs and plan changes and so on means a fair amount goes in the bin.

I remembered something I used to do with bags of salad before I stopped buying it, whizz it up with some nuts and garlic and olive oil and you have a sort of pesto, so rocket, lettuce, spinach, watercress that sort of thing. Just mix it together. Keep it in the fridge in oil, or again freeze it.

Eat more pesto?! . This attitude may be why I’m overweight though 😆

I don't understand how people have so little. Don't you have eggshells and the ends of carrots, and onion skins and the stemmy bits of parsley, or the tips of green beans, chicken bones and so on? Outer leaves of sprouts and cabbage, that sort of thing?

Probably to much, we try to use everything but potatoes, limp carrot and veg do get put in tbe food waste, honestly im not that bothered by it, irs not like im bining a steak or a whole chicken.

I ignore the "use within x weeks" completely. Some food deteriorates once exposed to air but if you are using clean tools to get food out of the jar it will be fine. Sticking the butter knife in the jam jar is almost certainly going to introduce bread crumbs and make jam go mouldy. Food in vinegar may get a bit softer but will otherwise be perfectly safe to eat.

This. Sometimes the dc get a choice of food, sometimes they are just given something that needs eating! Also slightly odd meal combinations occasionally. No food waste here.

None. I’m vegetarian, and any peelings/eggshells go in my compost bin. I don’t buy food I don’t need.

@Runnersandtoms the leeks had been there three weeks and gone off (I had used 2/5 in the packet), carrots same (I actually don’t find they last ages in my fridge tbh - 2 weeks usually). The meats were oversights - had planned to use but missed the dates on both so couldn’t freeze. I do freeze things but limited capacity and the children are in and out (they love frozen fruit) of it so things end up getting freezer burnt.

Eggs last absolutely ages in the fridge. (Except when dd1 is here as she eats loads of them lol)

I wouldn't throw any of those jars unless there was actual mould. We have stuff like that for months/years it's fine.

Im trying to be helpful

I dont berate anyone for food waste, I just know a lot of tips to avoid it.

Freeze your ham slices people. I layer them over each other so that I can get one or two out at a time.

Ok ok, jeez, 30 days in the food waste slammer for me!

We waste very little but we still have bones, peelings, skins, eggshells, cores and stones etc.

Definitely enough to need a food bin.

Our council doesn’t offer compost bins sadly, it’s also a really shit excuse for recycling in that it’s all just put into one bin. I couldn’t believe it when we moved here having previously lived in a city with 4 different bins!

We try not to waste food, only buy what we need for the week, encourage DC to finish everything on their plates etc. I’d say it’s minimal, our green bin isn’t often overflowing in the way recycling is after 2 weeks!

Much less than I used to! Soup for old carrots etc. we always have a chicken soup made with a carcass once a week. Dd(5) loves it very simple and ds (13) likes a bit of Thai curry paste in it but either way you can chuck in some veg. Apple cake for soft apples. Bananas go in the freezer for milkshakes or banana bread if they’re looking a bit ropey.

Also meal planning and making sure there’s always space in the freezer for some rogue meat or leftovers that is on its way out. Ham seems to go off for me so I rarely buy it now and have tins of tuna in for a quick sandwich instead. I probably get rid of a small compost bin a week but that includes tea bags, veg peelings, egg shells etc also.

I need to work on half used cartons of passata and pesto and half tins of beans, I think they’re my kryptonite with waste currently. Maybe more freezing needed 🤔. I would buy the little snap pots of Heinz beans but they’re so much more expensive than supermarket brand. But maybe it’d work out ok as DD only has them occasionally as a quick dinner side.

eta going a bit boring with veg and having frozen peas, sweetcorn, spinach and fresh carrots a lot seems to help a bit too. Supplemented with salad and fresh veg too but not worrying about having lovely fresh things every single day. There’s no “just in case” veg to go off as it’s frozen.

Carrots potatoes and leeks last literally ages in the fridge. Did you throw them because they were actually bad or just past their date?? Meatballs and prawns would be frozen here then you only defrost if you're going to use them.

You can freeze bags or half empty bags of fresh spinach, it goes brittle so obviously only good for chucking in a curry or stew or whatever, but saves it going to waste

We are much worse than I would like. Normally because plans change and whilst I’m furiously freezing stuff that can be frozen I’ve never yet worked out what to do with salad that’s gone slimy (having been 2/3 eaten). Or someone suddenly has an extra training session/orchestra rehearsal/volunteer meeting and I’m feeding one less mouth than I expected (DH and DS1 can both eat dinner in school if they are so inclined). And by the time everyone is home I’m usually cooking at 8:30pm for 1-4 people and not inclined to worry too much about that last quarter of red cabbage. I think it’ll be much less when things are less hectic in about a decade’s time! That said, we’re talking maybe a couple of things a week that should have been used up.

A fair amount, used to be nothing, but various health and diet issues, means now a lot gets bought but doesn’t always get used. I try and put anything veg/salad etc based in the raised bed compost bins though

Very rare for us to throw out food.
We shop two or three times a week.

Only peelings, fruit skins etc. But I suppose that's not waste really, if you don't have a compost heap. Actual waste as in buying food and chucking it away, basically none. Maybe beans occasionally as they come in such massive bags and don't last well. But I'd happily peel and eat sprouting potatoes, slightly soft carrots etc.

ETA I tend to spend a lot on food, so independent bakers, butchers, farm shops etc. I think that maybe helps make me determined not to chuck any of it out unnecessarily!

Eggs bought a few weeks ago are perfectly fine for baking now

You can bake some cakes with them and freeze the cake. Or make fritatta or mini egg muffins etc, and they can be frozen

Virtually no food waste. We use fresh veg only, rarely frozen or tinned. If its past it's best it gets used in soup, including lettuce which is good in Asian soup.