Food waste is costing you, and America, a lot of money.

As a nation, we waste 40% of the food produced.

As consumers, we throw away at least 30% of the food we buy at the grocery store.

Here’s what that means: if you spend $100 on groceries, you’ll end up throwing $30 worth away.

EcoScraps believes that’s wrong, and they’re right! That’s why we’ve teamed up with them to introduce you to the smart way they’re turning wasted food – including bananas – into potting soil and other garden products. They’re also offering a $50 WalMart Gift Card to one lucky Big Green Purse reader so you can purchase your own EcoScaps stuff. But more on that later!

Disclosure: This blog post includes links sponsored by EcoScraps and their preferred distributor, Wal-Mart.

How Many Bananas Do You Waste? What About Lettuce? Grapes?

You may be so used to throwing away food that you don’t even think about it anymore. But you should. Consider this*:

Food Waste Causes Climate Change

All this food waste takes a big toll on our pocket books. But it’s also contributing in a major way to climate change.

At the front end, think of all the fossil fuels (and water) used to produce, harvest, process and get that food to your shopping cart or dinner plate. Burning especially oil to operate farm machinery and transportation systems generates tons of carbon dioxide that are adding to global warming.

But on the back end, all the food that’s thrown away – enough to cover 4,444 football fields a year – ends up in landfills.

As landfilled food waste starts to decompose, it produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that’s 20 times more harmful than carbon dioxide (CO2).

EcoScraps to the Food Waste Rescue

Since 2010, EcoScraps has been working to be part of the solution by reusing food waste and keeping it out of landfills. “We want to make sustainability mainstream,” says the company.

And that’s exactly what they’re doing.

Recycling 15 million pounds of food waste is equivalent to keeping 500,000 cars off the road for an entire day.

Between 2011 and 2015, EcoScraps recycled 75 million pounds of food waste, and they project recycling another 75 million pounds in 2016 alone. 

What are they doing with it?

Turning it into potting soil, compost and other garden products, including:

All Purpose Plant Food

Azalea, Camellia and Rhododendron Plant Food

Compost Accelerator

Potting Mix

Raised Bed Garden Mix

Rose & Flower Plant Food

Tomato, Herb & Vegetable Plant Food

Moisture Retaining Garden Soil

All Purpose Liquid Fertilizer

Moisture Retaining Compost

I used EcoScraps’ Moisture Retaining Potting Soil to pot up the impatience and begonias I keep on my porch. Don’t they look beautiful?

What Can You Do to Reduce Food Waste?

√First and foremost, buy less food! Rather than buy as much as you think you need, realize you can buy 30% less – if you eat it all. Be smarter about what you buy and keep track of it so you eat it all.

√That goes for restaurants, too. When you dine out, order smaller portions, or share one large portion so you waste less. Bring home the leftovers so the restaurant won’t toss them in the trash.

√Change your shopping habits. Bagged salad, for instance, is one of the number one foods wasted. Buy bagged salads only on the days you plan to use them.

√And of course, choose products like EcoScraps that are made from food waste that’s been recycled.

What other ideas do you have for reducing food waste? Please share!

NOTE: Sponsors like EcoScraps enable us to bring you expert content at no cost to you. Our editorial opinions remain our own.  

*Source – Packing News

WIN A $50 GIFT CARD!

EcoScraps wants to make it easy for you to try their product, so they’re offering one lucky Big Green Purse reader a $50 Gift Card, which you can use at any WalMart store. For a chance at winning the card, please leave a comment in the comments section below telling us what you are growing in your garden this year and why you think gardening organically is so important. The winner will be chosen at random.

Please leave your comment below by Noon ET on June 28.

The post Why Does EcoScraps Turn Old Bananas Into Potting Soil, Plant Food? appeared first on Big Green Purse.

One of the best ways to save money on food and reduce waste is to buy in bulk. But not all foods are equal when it comes to bulk buying. Some could spoil, others can take up valuable storage space, and still others you might never consume, whether you buy a little or a lot. Do you know the best foods to buy in bulk?

Why Buy in Bulk?

⇒ Buying in Bulk Saves Money – Pretty much all food costs less when you buy a larger size or choose from bins that allow you to package up your food yourself. See for yourself the next time you go shopping.

Compare the price of a pound of loose fresh carrots to a bag of peeled and washed baby carrots. The fresh carrots may cost one-third as much as the bagged ones. The same is true of packaged paper goods, like toilet tissue and paper towels. The more you buy, the less each one costs per unit price.

⇒ Bulk Foods Cut the Cost of Organic Groceries – Organic bulk foods on average cost 89% less than their packaged counterparts.

Compare the unit price of the foods you buy to find the best bulk deals. You can usually locate the unit price in the top left corner of the shelf label that gives the price for the product. Though you will pay less for the small size, you’ll probably pay more per unit price.

⇒ Bulk Foods Produce a Smaller Footprint on the Planet – Pre-packaged food comes wrapped in plastic, polystyrene, paper, and cardboard. All this wrapping takes its toll on the water and trees that are used to produce them. Plus, manufacturing all that packaging generates air and water pollution, along with climate-changing carbon dioxide that’s emitted when oil and coal are burned to produce paper and plastic.

It’s estimated that $1 out of every $11 we spend at the grocery store goes not to food, but to the throwaway packaging it comes in. That means, if you spend $100 on groceries, you’ve waste $11 on plastic and paper you just throwaway.

⇒ Bulk Foods Can Cut Waste – Buying in bulk allows you to buy just the amount of food you need so you’ll throw away less. It lets you stock up on items you might otherwise run out of frequently.

According to BulkIsGreen.org, 260 million pounds of foil packaging could be diverted from landfills per year if all Americans purchased coffee beans from the bulk bins. 

⇒ Bulk Foods May Be Fresher – There’s often greater variety in the bulk bins than what you would find packaged on the shelves. And often, bulk food is fresher, as it has to be replenished more frequently than food that is packaged to have a long shelf life.

If you are buying packaged food, you can still buy in bulk by choosing the largest package you can consume in a reasonable amount of time. For example, buying one large bag of chips saves more money and creates less trash than buying a box of ten small bags of chips.

What Bulk Foods Will Save You The Most?

√ When buying in bulk, choose primarily foods that have a long shelf life (see our list below).

√ If you’re buying perishable foods like meat or chicken, buy in bulk when you can cook some and freeze the rest.

√ Planning to can fruits or vegetables? Buying them in bulk will save you a lot of money over buying them pre-bagged. [/box]

What About Storage?

Store bulk foods in air-tight containers at room temperature or slightly cooler, or in the freezer if appropriate. Unless you can see through the containers, label each one with the contents and date they were stored.

Need storage containers? The ones we offer in the Big Green Purse Amazon store will give you an idea of what to look for.

What Are the 10 Best Foods to Buy in Bulk?

› Dried Beans and Pasta – Dried pasta can last up to two years in a sealed container; dried beans can last about a year. Buy them either in large containers at warehouse clubs, or bag them yourself at your local grocery store or food co-op. Consider lentils, peas, garbanzo beans, black beans and navy beans, among others.

› Rice – White rice can last about a year; brown rice about six months. Store it in air-tight containers and use it until you need to replenish it. The idea isn’t to buy it and not use it!

› Pepper, Salt and Spices – Whole peppercorns can last as long as three years, though ground pepper only lasts about 6 months. Salt seems to last indefinitely. Spices vary; this handy guide from StillTasty.com lists expiration times for almost any spice you’ll have in your pantry.

› Snack Foods – A large bag of chips costs significantly less than individual bags packaged together, and generates a lot less waste. If you need snack sizes to take in your lunch or send with the kids to school, buy reusable snack boxes and refill those from the large bag.

› Popcorn – Popcorn kernels seem to last forever. Get the largest size you can find on the shelf, or buy in bulk by the pound. Popping your own popcorn is definitely cheaper than buying microwave popcorn, which comes in a serving bag as part of a box or package that’s additionally wrapped.

› Chicken – Large packages of chicken wings, legs, breasts and thighs are always cheaper than smaller servings. Buy the bulk size, then divvy up into smaller portions when you get home. Wrap in aluminum foil, then put into a reusable plastic freezer bag or other reusable storage container, along with the date. Use within 3 months.

› Meat – Like chicken, most meat is cheaper when you buy more of it. Buy large packages of steaks or chops, then divide into portions, wrap, date and freeze. Do the same with ground beef.

› Candy – Most hard candy has a long shelf life, especially if you keep it cool. Hard candy is better in bulk than chocolate.

› Condiments – Mustard, ketchup, and hot sauce usually have so much salt in them that you can buy the largest size you can use and not worry about it going bad. The same is true of relishes and pickles.

› Dried Fruit – Skip the little boxes of raisins in favor of a big bag or box; if you need snack-size servings, dole them out into small reusable containers or lunch bags. The same goes with dried apricots, cherries

› Toilet Paper and Paper Towels – These aren’t foods, of course, but they really make sense to buy in bulk. If you have the storage space, buy a 12-pack rather than a 4- or even 8-pack. [/box]

Buying in bulk can make organic food more affordable. See our post on the Top 10 Organic Food $$$$ Busters to learn more.

RELATED

Top Ten Ways to Afford Going Green

13 Steps to More Earth-Friendly Food

The post What Are the 10 Best Foods to Buy in Bulk to Save Money & Reduce Waste? appeared first on Big Green Purse.

A Mason jar is the perfect lunch container. It’s glass, so won’t leach nasty chemicals into your food the way a plastic box or bowl would. It’s got a tight-fitting lid, so you don’t have to worry about leaks or spills. It can hold 8 or 16 ounces, which is plenty big for a lunch-size serving or two. And it’s cheap, or even free. If you buy tomato sauce or pre-made soup at the store, chances are you’re getting it in a Mason jar you can re-use.

Here are 9 ideas for lunches you can carry in a Mason jar. Make them ahead of time and keep them in the refrigerator. Make enough for your work week on Sunday night, and you’ll have an inexpensive, nutritious, delicious and waste-free lunch ready-to-go Monday through Friday.

Remember to wash the jars in the dishwasher or in hot soapy water in your kitchen sink before you re-fill them. Keep all the jars refrigerated until you use them. You can put jarred soups and casseroles in the freezer as long as you leave at least an inch of room at the top so the food can expand when it freezes.

1) Salad of Mixed Greens and Veggies – The trick to making salad in a jar ahead of time is to put the wettest ingredients at the bottom, then fill with crisp, dry greens. Romaine or iceberg lettuce work well; so do curly spinach and chopped kale.

Whatever greens you use, wash them, then dry well. Spin them in a salad spinner, or dry off the dripping water using a clean towel or paper coffee filters if you don’t have paper towels or napkins. Then, layer dry ingredients on top of wet ones.

On the very bottom goes the salad dressing (or you can add this at work, when you are ready to eat your lunch). Next, tomatoes, olives, cucumbers, and carrots. Pile on the lettuce, and sprinkle cheese or other condiments on top. Pack all the way to the top before screwing the lid on tightly. Vary ingredients as you like – try a different salad dressing, different greens, or different vegetables, like chickpeas, celery, or peppers. Before serving, turn the closed jar upside down and shake back and forth a few times to mix the salad dressing into the salad.

2) Soup – Almost any kind of soup can be jarred ahead of time, but vegetable soups in broth, as opposed to cream-based soups, probably work best. Vegetables will continue to soften in liquid during the week, so don’t cook them all the way through when you make your soup. Leave about an inch or inch and a half of space when you fill the jar, so you can take the lid off and microwave at work without worrying about overflow.  Heat the soup half way, then stir it or put the cap back on and shake it up before heating it through.

3) Stir Fry – Cook up a couple of cups of your favorite rice, then put aside. Stir fry broccoli, water chestnuts, spring onions, red or green peppers, and mushrooms. Put a serving of stir fry in the jar, then top off with rice. Add soy sauce and other liquid seasoning when you eat your lunch.

4) Macaroni & Cheese – Mac and cheese is the perfect lunch to dole out in a jar. The pasta is cooked and the sauce is on the noodles, so all you have to do is heat it up. Add variety to your meal with veggies you can put on top, like thinly sliced green or red peppers, sauteed onions or mushrooms, or shredded spinach.

5) Greek Yogurt Fruit Parfait – If you like a light lunch, a parfait of  yogurt and fruit could be perfect. I use Greek yogurt because it is thicker and contains more protein than regular yogurt. Choose fruit that won’t deteriorate if it’s cut. That means tangerine or orange slices, chopped apple that’s been squirted with a bit of lemon so it doesn’t turn brown, raisins, dried cranberries, grapes, and stone fruit like peaches and pears. If you want a banana, take it whole to work and cut it up when you’re ready to eat.

6) Asian Peanut Noodle Salad – Put a tablespoon or two of tangy peanut dressing on the bottom of the jar. Then, layer with oriental noodles like Soba or rice, grated carrots, bean sprouts, and edamame. Top with crunchy peanuts or dried chow mein noodles.

7) Shrimp or Chicken  Cobb Salad – This salad was made to be jarred! Put your favorite dressing on the bottom (Ranch works well with a Cobb salad), then layer in cooked and chopped chicken or shrimp, crunchy greens, a hardboiled egg, sliced cucumbers, sliced or shredded carrots, and a little red onion. Skimp on the onion, because over the week, it will infuse the entire salad.

If you need a non-glass lunch box, we’ve found several safe, eco-friendly options for you. Take a look! 

8) Tex-Mex – Whatever you like in a burrito bowl can go in the jar. Put salsa and hot sauce on the bottom, then add rice or quinoa, cooked corn, chopped peppers, chopped onions, sour cream, cilantro, grilled chicken, and Monterey Jack cheese. You’ll want to slice in some avocado right before serving, as avocado doesn’t keep long once it’s been scooped out of its shell.

9) Tuna Noodle Casserole, Ratatouille, Stew – Almost any kind of casserole or stew will work. For a dish like tuna casserole, add a variety of crunchy veggies on top so they don’t get soggy during the week. For ratatouille, top off with grated cheese that will melt into the dish when heated on the microwave.

One other recommendation: if you are heating your lunch in your jar, be careful when you take it out of the microwave. It will be hot! Use an oven mitten or pot holder to stay safe.

Need Mason Jars? If you can’t find them in your grocery store,
we sell them in our Amazon Big Green Purse store right here.

The post 9 Make-Ahead Lunches You Can Carry in a Mason Jar appeared first on Big Green Purse.

What Makes You Green When You Buy in Bulk? 

For starters, buying in bulk is one of the best ways to save money on groceries. Why? Larger sizes deliver the same amount of product using less energy and materials than the equivalent number of smaller packages.

The next time you go shopping, browse the snack aisle and compare the difference for yourself. When you buy one large box of cookies, all you pay for are the cookies and the one box. But if you buy a “snack pack” of ten or twelve small bags, you end up with all those individual bags, plus the display box they came in and the cellophane wrapped around them. That’s a lot of excess packaging – and all that extra wrapping costs you more money.

At my local grocery store, one 15 oz. box of cookies runs around $3.99 or $.27/ounce. The package of 12 snack bags costs $5.79, or $.34 ounce. By some estimates, a family of four can save as much as $2,000 per year just buying in bulk. If you need snack packs for yourself or your kids, it’s much cheaper and more eco to buy reusable containers you can easily refill from the larger bag. Bonus: The snack containers will do a better job of protecting the snacks from getting crushed in a lunch bag or backpack.

Here’s how I saved $20 buying cat food in bulk.

Still not convinced? Take a look at these stats from a cool infographic BIG has on their website:

* If Americans purchased all of their coffee from the bulk bins for 1 month, we’d save 20 MILLION pounds of foil packaging, the equivalent of almost 8,000 compact cars

* If we purchased oatmeal from the bulk bins, we’d save 5 times the waste of its packaged equivalent

* If we purchased all of the almonds we buy in bulk just for one month, 6 MILLION pounds of waste would be saved from landfills, the equivalent of 522.5 elephants!

HOW TO BUY IN BULK

You’ll find the larger sizes of bulk food in the same section as the smaller containers. If you’re packaging up bulk food yourself, the bulk food section will probably be in a specific section of the grocery store. Put food in bags or other containers, weigh it on the spot, write down the weight and perhaps the product code on a tag or tape, affix the price to the container, and take it to the check out. Don’t be put off if this sounds like it takes too much time. It won’t add more than a few minutes to your shopping schedule.

You’ll probably find plastic bags to use for your loose bulk purchases. But why not bring your own bags and jars? I use mesh bags like these that I can fill up and then put right in my refrigerator or pantry when I get home. If they get dirty, I just toss them in the washing machine with my towels.

I also use glass or stainless steel containers with tight fitting lids. You will want to weigh the containers before you fill them with food so you don’t pay for the extra weight.

NOTE: You don’t need to buy tons of something to take advantage of what bulk buying has to offer. Whether you buy a lot or a little from the bulk bins, you’ll be saving money because you’ll be paying for less packaging and more actual food.

This week when I go shopping, here’s what I’ll be buying from the bulk bins:

* Loose leaf tea

* Popcorn

* Almonds

* Walnuts

* Cereal

* Apples

* Pears

* Brown sugar

* Rolled oats

* Sesame sticks

* Bagels

What about you?

Need bulk food containers?

Before you buy anything new, check your cupboards for containers you already have that will make bulk shopping easy and trash-free. But if you need anything else, we’ve combed through the offerings on Amazon to find mesh produce bags and glass and BPA-free plastic containers that can help. A one-time investment in some reusable containers now will end up saving you hundreds of dollars over the long term. (Remember that we earn a tiny commission on any purchases on our Amazon store, which helps us continue to bring you expert advice for free. Thanks!)

 RELATED POSTS:

The Truth Behind Buying in Bulk

Buying in Bulk Just Saved Me $20!

The post Want a Discount? Buy in Bulk to Save Money, Cut Trash, Shop Smart appeared first on Big Green Purse.

#1 – Shop Smart

The first trick is to buy what you actually will eat. I’ve gotten pretty good about taking stock of what’s still in the fridge before I go to the store. I never get around to thinking about recipes before I grab a shopping cart, but I have finally stopped buying double or triple of something, just because that’s what I always buy.

Plus, I try not to be motivated by what’s supposedly on sale. Would I buy it if it weren’t on sale? If the answer’s no, I still skip it.

Timesaver Tip: No time to even make a list? Take a picture of what’s inside the fridge or in the pantry with your smart phone.

#2 – Cook Smart 

I usually try to make a bit more than I and my family can eat at a sitting, just to save time when prepping another meal. I’m a big fan of leftovers, either reheated or combined with other ingredients. And if I find stalky veggies, like celery or rhubarb or even carrots, wilting, I just pop them in a glass of water. It only takes an hour or so before they’re revived and ready to eat.

Timesaver Tip: Make twice as much as you need for one meal, then freeze the leftovers for a later date. Check the freezer regularly so you don’t lose track of what’s in it. At our house, I pull out the leftovers  Friday night to eat on Saturday when everyone is busy with household chores, sports, and other family activities.

#3 – Compost Smart

Many communities are dealing with food waste by encouraging people to compost more. Ideally, people would compost their food waste in their own backyards, where they can turn their food waste into beautiful soil like what is pictured here.  If that idea appeals to you, here’s a quick guide to how to get started composting at home.

Timesaver Tip: Using a composting barrel or bin spares you the need to make your own, and it’s pretty quick to spin a barrel rather than have to dig compost into a pile.

If you just don’t like the idea of composting your own waste, maybe you’re lucky enough to live in one of the 180 communities that have started picking up residents’ compost and treating it in an industrial compost facility. My town is going to start picking up our food waste for composting in 2014. I’ll let you know how that goes. You can also check out this directory to see if community composting is available where you live. UCan Products has produced this nifty kitchen compost bin, along with biodegradable bags to put the compost in to keep everything tidy.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, people waste about 30% of the food they buy. That means we’re wastinge 30 cents of every dollar we spend on food. By shopping, cooking and composting smart, you’ll save all that money – and do the planet a little favor, too.

Want more ideas? King County in Washington State has started this Facebook page offering creative tips to help people waste less and recycle more. Why don’t you add your own suggestions to theirs? They’ve also pulled together a terrific list of resources on their web page here.

Related articles

Compost: Crack for the Garden

My Green Goals for 2013: Less Bathroom Plastic, More Home-Made Yogurt, Better Compost

The post Three Best Ways to Reduce Food Waste: Shop Smart, Cook Smart, Compost Smart appeared first on Big Green Purse.

“If I asked you to reach into your wallet and grab a couple of twenty dollar bills, and rip them up and throw them away, you’d probably think I was crazy, right?  But that’s essentially what most Americans are doing each and every week!  According to an article in On Earth magazine, “Americans waste 30 – 40% of their food, or the equivalent of about two full meals a day.”

Think about those weeks that you buy food without having carefully planned your meals.  Do you end up throwing away more flimsy produce, expired meats, or moldy cheese? There are high costs to wasting all this food, and they’re not just economic. All this extra food has to be produced and transported before it’s eaten and even after it’s discarded, resulting in higher energy costs and emissions.

What to do?

I’ve found my family can vastly reduce waste and save hundreds of dollars each month by:

* planning ahead for meals and snacks before grocery shopping,

* grocery shopping just once a week,

* keeping a grocery list on the refrigerator for all family members to update during the week so I can stick to shopping just once a week, and

* using up as much leftover food as possible in a final meal or two before doing the weekly shopping.

Start Composting

Even if you do plan your meals and cook at home, you’re bound to have some waste.  Last year my family started composting as a way to reuse some of our waste and reduce the amount of trash that has to be hauled from our curb.

While the thought of composting was a little intimidating, it turns out to be the easiest thing in the world! Each day I collect our fruit and vegetable rinds, peels and ends, along with any egg shells and coffee grounds, in a bowl on the kitchen counter.  At the end of the day I dump the bowl’s contents into a large plastic kitty litter bin I keep under our kitchen sink.  When the bin is full, we dump the contents in a pile in our back yard, rinse the bin with the hose, and start over.  This summer we’ll use some of the compost to enrich our garden, but until then, we can feel good knowing that we reduced the amount of waste that is transported and takes up space in local landfills.

(NOTE: If you want to get a compost bin, Big Green Purse sells them in our store here.)

This month, let’s all commit to saving money and the environment by reducing our food waste.  Please keep me posted on how your family has met or plans to meet this challenge by commenting on The Scramble Facebook page or via twitter(@thescramble) or by email at aviva@thescramble.com. I look forward to learning and sharing how much you save!”

Earth Day Bonus!

Between now and Earth Day (April 22), use the promo code EarthDay12 to get $5 off every subscription to The Six O’Clock Scramble weekly plan. As an added benefit, The Scramble will donate 5% of its Earth Day sales to the Natural Resources Defense Council. Subscribe to The Scramble here.

Aviva Goldfarb is a family dinner expert, mother of two and the author and founder of The Six O’Clock Scramble, an online dinner planning system and cookbook. Her most recent cookbook, “SOS! The Six O’Clock Scramble to the Rescue: Earth Friendly, Kid-Pleasing Meals for Busy Families” was named one of the best cookbooks of 2010 by the Washington Post .  Aviva contributes weekly to the Kitchen Explorers blog on PBSparents.org, and often appears on television, radio, and in magazines such as O, The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Working Mother, Kiwi, Every Day with Rachael Ray, and Prevention.You can sign up for her weekly newsletter at thescramble.com. For more information, contact Aviva@thescramble.com.

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Here’s How You Can Afford to Spend 30% More on Organic Food

Learn How to Compost

The post Earth Day or Any Day, Don’t Toss Your Cash With Your Trash appeared first on Big Green Purse.