Tips for zero food waste in Singapore
We’re looking into issues relating to food waste as part of our ongoing commitment to sustainability in this short article. Like many people across the globe, you’ve probably been touched and inspired by the unique climate interventions kicked off by Swedish teen Greta Thunberg. Having the NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) mindset about climate change is impossible for many people, but it’s also important to understand exactly what you can do as a consumer and an individual member of society. One way you can make an immediate start on reducing your impact on the climate is by attempting to reach a zero food waste target, and we’re offering several tips below that can get you started and help you to hit this goal.
Singapore won’t be impacted by climate change, will it?
We’re so lucky to live in Singapore because some of the worst impacts of climate change don’t affect us personally. That said, just take a minute to look back on your own life experience, and speak to people of your parents’ generation, and you will soon recognise that warmer temperatures and more intense rainfall have already become the norm.
Our government is taking steps to address some issues via the Cooling Singapore initiative, but we can’t just rely on politicians. Rising sea levels will probably cause the worst impacts on Singaporeans; and are highly likely to cause issues with our food supplies. We have a tremendous reliance on the rice fields of Indonesia and Thailand, and these will feel the first thrust of rising seas even if Singapore deals with its own issue of a potential rise of at least 1 metre.
How can I reach my target of zero food waste?
We’re taking issues of packaging out of this debate on zero food waste for the time being, because there are already so many concerns about wasted food in general. So, to kick off:
- One way to kick off your zero food waste initiative is to become more aware of all the foods you buy. Always write a shopping list before heading to the mall or shopping for food online, because this way you will only buy the foods you plan to eat or tend to consume on a regular basis. Impulse buying of food very often leads to waste.
- Keep your kitchen stores updated with the ingredients and food basics that enable you to turn some leftover foods into meals that can be eaten next day or frozen. For example, left over bones and carcasses from all kinds of meat can easily be turned into hearty soups that are quick and simple to make.
- If you have a garden or keep pets, fish, or birds, it’s often possible to turn food waste into compost or feed leftovers and scraps to animals. For example, fish bones, egg shells, and tea leaves are all rich in nutrients that can build healthy soils or enrich compost.
- Start to use your freezer with more care and intelligence. If you regularly throw bread into the garbage, it’s an easy matter to freeze your sliced bread at the time of purchase and then just take out slices when needed. On the subject of bread, which is becoming more and more essential for many modern consumers, leftover or stale bread can also be turned into breadcrumbs quite easily and be frozen or used in a variety of different recipes.
Hitting a zero food waste goal is difficult …… but achievable
Hitting your zero food waste target will take time and lots of practice. The team at foodpanda are on hand to offer lots more sustainability tips to help you meet that zero food waste goal. Why not start today?