No, we’re not leaving for vacation 😆 I just try to eat everything by week’s end before I restock over the weekend 😊
When I first bought this 30” counter depth fridge, I briefly worried it wouldn’t be big enough. After all, the average fridge sold in North America has 22-31 cubic feet of storage space; mine has only 14. But since living zero waste, I’ve grown to love my fridge. Much like my tiny trash can, my smallish fridge allows me see everything I put in it, reducing the chance that something gets forgotten or (gulp) uneaten. As a result, we have virtually no food waste! 🙌
When food doesn’t make it into our bellies, it’s not just the food that’s wasted. It’s also …
1) the water, land and resources used to grow the food
2) the fossil fuels used to transport the food
3) the energy used to store the food all along the way
4) our money!
As a general rule, I don’t buy more than what my son and I can reasonably consume in one week. And we make a conscious effort to eat most of it before I go shopping again.
Use what you buy. Don’t buy too much. Store it well. And eat those leftovers! 😋
Aready, Tippi, I’ve learned a little more. I appeciate your sharing here. I’ve been working at this myself too for years now. The composting is not getting much uptake (we don’t have composting pickup locally, rodents have been an issue with personal composting tries, so it is off putting right now), but like you I am shopping more mindfully and therefore using things up before I go out to the supermarket again and stock up. I do bulk shop, and shop for “smart” sale items.
Thank you for your insights into this important environmental challenge we all have to get involed in.
Barbara Winsor,
Outer Cove,
Newfoundland
Thanks so much for your comment! It’s wonderful to hear that you’re shopping more mindfully 🙂
Sorry to hear your composting efforts haven’t worked out. What kind of composting system have you tried? One of my compost bins is a tumbler that’s raised off the ground. I bought when I lived in a neighborhood with a known rodent problem. Tumblers are rodent proof! I also have a plastic compost bin that sits directly on the soil. Both types are completely closed, and I’ve never had an issue with rodents.
Keep up the great work!
My son and I drink a lot of milk (2 or 3 of the 4 L bags per week) and I would like to switch to something other than bagged milk. Any suggestions?
I was under the impression that the waxed butcher paper is OK for the green bin. Comments?
Hi! Are you able to find milk in glass containers at your regular grocery store? Sometimes they put it in a separate area from the bagged milk, maybe with the plant-based milks or in an organic section. The two dairy brands with consigned glass containers that I see most often in Quebec are La Pinte and Harmony. Talk with your local grocery to store to see if they can source dairy in glass
A next best option would be to buy milk in cartons if those are recyclable in your area.
As far as the waxed butcher paper, it’s best to check with your city to know for sure what’s accepted in your green bin. However, from what I’ve read, butcher paper is usually coated in a petroleum-based wax (i.e., plastic) so you shouldn’t put it in the compost bin. If it’s butcher paper you purchased, and you know that it’s completely plant-based and certified compostable, then it’s OK. Hope this helps!