In 2022, 88.7 million tons of food in the U.S. went unsold or uneaten. And nearly half of that was due to food waste in our own homes. Curbing your food waste is a win-win for the planet and your pocketbook. Here’s what you can do, starting with how you dine out and shop and ending with how you dispose of scraps.

Navigating restaurants

• Most entrées at sit-down restaurants have 1,000+ calories. Don’t eat more to waste less. Take home the excess.
• BYOB! (Bring your own to-go box for leftovers.)
• Split an entrée with a friend.
• Order a half entrée if you can.
• Pass up buffets and other all-you-can-eat offers.

Shopping smart

• To avoid overbuying, plan meals ahead. For meal prep guides as well as help figuring out how much to buy for a dinner party, visit savethefood.com/planning.
• Three mangoes for $3? You probably don’t have to buy three to get that $1-per-mango price.
• Many pre-cut vegetables and fruits (like broccoli, shredded cabbage, or melon) spoil more quickly than whole. Buy them whole, then cut or shred them when you’re going to use them.
• Buy frozen fruit for smoothies.
• Try items made from stems, like cauliflower rice and broccoli slaw.
• Look for misshapen or “ugly” produce at reduced prices.
• Shake the water off produce. Water encourages rotting… and adds weight.

Make the most of your freezer

• Store bread, butter, meat, fish, poultry, nuts, and hard cheese in the freezer.
• Before you put food in the freezer, label and date the containers.
• Freeze (cooled-down) chicken or vegetable stock in ice cube trays. Put the frozen cubes in an airtight container or bag.
• Blanch vegetables before freezing to preserve their flavor.
• Peel ripe bananas before freezing. Toss frozen chunks in a smoothie or immerse the storage bag in water to thaw to use in cooking or baking.
• Freeze berries on a tray so they don’t stick together. Then transfer them to an airtight container or bag.

• Chop peaches, melon, mangoes, pineapple, and other fruit before freezing.
• Freeze lightly beaten eggs in an airtight container. Thaw in the fridge and use for scrambled eggs or cooking.
• Can’t get through your milk fast enough? You can freeze it! Shake the thawed milk if the fat has separated.
• Pack ice-cube trays half full with fresh herbs like oregano, thyme, and basil, then top with olive oil. Transfer the frozen cubes to an airtight container or bag. (You can also use the ice cube tray strategy for leftover pesto.)

Set up your fridge for success

• The refrigerator door is the warmest place in your fridge. Use it for condiments and drinks, not perishables (like milk or eggs).
• Keep your fridge at 40º F or colder to prevent spoilage.
• Try not to overfill the fridge. It needs air to circulate to properly cool its contents.
• Audit your fridge every few days to decide what might spoil soon. Create an easily seen “eat first.”
• Store leftovers in clear containers so you can see what they are.

• Higher shelves are warmer. Store leftovers, drinks, and ready-to-eat foods there.
• The bottom of the fridge is the coldest. Store meat, poultry, and fish as low as you can in trays or drawers (in case they leak).
• Disinfect your fridge every few months. Invisible mold spores can speed food spoilage.

Smart storage

• Store fresh herbs like parsley and cilantro in a glass of water (like cut flowers).
• Store mushrooms in a paper bag in the fridge.
• Onions can make potatoes sprout. Separate them (and store at room temp).
• Bananas and apples can make other fruits ripen. Store them apart from others.
• Store oils that you use often (like olive or peanut) in a cool, dark place.
• Keep oils that you use infrequently (like sesame or walnut) in the fridge.

• Most “best by” dates refer to a food’s quality, not safety. If it looks and smells fine, no need to toss it.
• Ignore “sell by” dates. Stores use them to decide how long to display a food.
• Wrap greens in a paper towel or cloth, which will soak up excess moisture and help prevent sliminess.
• Store uncooked brown and wild rice in the fridge. The oils in the outer hull can go rancid, which happens faster at room temp.

Go to savethefood.com/storage for more tips.

Use it up

• Got greens like kale, spinach, or beet greens on the verge of going bad? Sauté or steam them. That will give them new life.
• Revive wilted greens by putting them in an ice water bath for 5-10 minutes.
• Soft apples or pears? Place peeled, cored chunks in a pot with a bit of water, then heat and mash. Voilà! Apple (or pear) sauce.
• Use leftover herbs in salads or sandwiches, as a garnish in soups, or for making pesto.
• Stuck with small amounts of a variety of uncooked grains that have similar cooking times? Mix them together.

• Find a few recipes with flexible ingredient lists to clean out your fridge. Veggie stir-fry, anyone?
• Do a semi-annual or quarterly “eat up the pantry” to use up grains and canned goods.
• Before traveling, eat your perishables or give them to friends. Or take them along.
• Keep a container in the freezer for scraps of carrots, onions, celery, herbs, garlic, and poultry bones. Once it’s full, make stock. (Need a recipe? See The Healthy Cook's stock recipe.)

Composting

• Interested in backyard or indoor composting? Go to  epa.gov/recycle/composting-home.
• Urge your condo or apartment building to start composting.
• You can compost fruit and veggie scraps, pasta, bread, cereal, egg shells, coffee grounds, paper egg cartons, paper plates, shredded paper, and more.
• If you don’t take compostables out regularly, keep them in the freezer so they don’t smell.
• Search online for composting in your community. Local government-run composting programs are becoming more common. Compost collection by private companies (which usually charge a small fee) is available in many areas in the U.S.