SAVE THE FOOD CHALLENGE
Waste Free Greenwich challenges our community to decrease food waste by at least 25% through easy, actionable steps like prevention, donation and composting.
Why? Because food tossed in the trash is a waste of resources - energy, water, labor and cropland. One out of 4 bags of groceries end up in the trash, and food waste is one of the heaviest, wettest and most expensive materials for our town to incinerate. If food waste were a country, it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases, behind China and the US!
START WITH A FOOD AUDIT
Doing a food waste audit is an easy way to find out how much food is uneaten in your household – and how much money is going in the bin with it! A food waste audit requires you to record all of the food you are throwing away over a period of time. Start the challenge with a waste audit from Ends and Stems.
PREVENTION: SAVE THE FOOD
Waste Free Greenwich and the Town of Greenwich Conservation Commission have partnered with Save the Food, a national PSA campaign created by NRDC and the Ad Council, to promote better meal planning, storage and cooking. Check out these tips & tools from Save the Food to prevent food waste:
A dinner party calculator that estimates how much food you need to keep your guests happy and healthy. Just tell it who's coming to dinner and find out exactly how much to make.
It’s time to get more flavor and less waste out of meal prepping. Whether you’re a prepping pro or just starting out, here are the tools you need to make a shopping list, portion your meals, and maximize what's in your fridge.
When you store food correctly, it lasts longer. The interactive storage guide has tips, tricks and info to keep your food fresh for as long as possible.
DONATION: FOOD RESCUE US
13.9% of CT residents are food insecure, lacking access to healthy food. But Food Rescue US is changing this. Through its app, Food Rescue US rescues would-be wasted food and delivers the surplus to hungry neighbors via receiving agencies, including food pantries and community centers.
Sign up to volunteer as a food rescuer with the Food Rescue US app. It’s easy! Pick up surplus food from Food Donors (grocers, restaurants, hospitals) and deliver it directly to local Receiving Agencies (community kitchens, food pantries). Choose deliveries close to home that work for you at your convenience. No weekly commitments are required.
COMPOSTING
GREENWICH FOOD SCRAP RECYCLING PILOT
Greenwich residents can now collect food scraps at home and drop them off at Holly Hill Resource Recovery Facility. This voluntary, free program, accepts all types of food, including meat, dairy, bones and shells, as well as paper towels and napkins. Although not required, starter kits are available for sale to make the process easy. For more information, click here.
Sign up for a monthly subscription with Curbside Compost, a hauling service, to pick up food scraps at your curb on a designated day weekly. All food scraps accepted, and a clean pail is delivered with pick up. When signing up, enter “Waste Free Greenwich” in the notes to receive one free month of service.
Follow Waste Free Greenwich’s guide to starting your own backyard composting system in 4 simple steps.