7 Ways to Reduce Food Waste at Home

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Rubbermaid®. All opinions are 100% mine.

I know most of us try to keep our waste low and do small things to help the environment, but household waste is still an issue. And one place we can start is in the kitchen and specifically in our fridges.

Nothing is worse than finding you didn’t eat your berries fast enough, or throw out veg because it’s gone bad. That’s why when Rubbermaid reached out to try out their new Rubbermaid® FreshWorks™ line, I jumped at the chance. There’s nothing worse than loading up during your weekly trip to the farmers market and then forgetting about all your goodies, only to find them languishing limply in your crisper drawer days later.

And let’s say it did not disappoint. It’s basically food storage, but with a specific purpose. I stored berries, vegetables I prepped for salads and even leftover lettuce. It kept them fresh for longer with their new vent that lets the O2 and CO2 flow in and out, so I didn’t worry about wasting food. And with a  $3 coupon you can use towards your purchase, it’s a no brainer to pick one up!

Rubbermaid® FreshWorks™ Produce Saver built-in lid filter never needs to be replaced and will last a lifetime. Longer lasting produce means fewer trips to the grocery store, which is such a win-win for myself. Don’t get me wrong, I love grocery shopping, but I hate wasting money.

The new key features to note are that there’s a nifty green tray at the bottom that lets your produce stay dry. Nothing is worse than finding mold on the bottom of your berries. I’m also all about food storage that is BPA-Free and that I can clean in my dishwasher. I literally threw out any old food storage from our drawer that weren’t both. To me, they were a waste.

Check out my other favourite Rubbermaid line here.

Here’s 7 tips for keeping your produce fresh

1. Keep ethylene-producing foods away from ethylene-sensitive foods. Avocados, bananas, cantaloupes, kiwis, mangoes, nectarines, pears, plums, and tomatoes, for example, should be stored in a different place than your apples, broccoli, carrots, leafy greens, and watermelon.
2. Keep potatoes, onions, and tomatoes in a cool, dry place, but not in the fridge. The cold will ruin their flavour.
3. Store unripe fruits and veggies like pears, peaches, plums, kiwis, mangoes, apricots, avocados, melons, and bananas on the counter. Once they’re ripe, move them to the fridge. Banana peels will turn dark brown, but it won’t affect the flesh
4. Citrus fruits such as oranges, tangerines, lemons, and limes, will do fine for up to a week in a cool, dark place, away from direct sunlight, but you can lengthen their lives by storing them in the fridge in a mesh bag.
5. Wrap celery in aluminum foil and store it in the veggie bin in the fridge.
6. Avoid washing berries until right before you’re ready to eat them. Wetness encourages mold growth.
7. Buy only what you need. Go to the market more frequently, or if that’s not possible, plan out your meals ahead of time so you only buy what you know you’ll use.
   
   
   Have you seen them in your local store? Do you have any tried and true tips for keeping produce fresh?