Shoreline resident takes the Too Good to Waste Food Challenge

Food waste bags used in the Food Challenge
Compostable bag retailers

By Sabrina Huang

This fall, King County’s Food: Too Good to Waste campaign recruited 36 residents, including me and two other Shoreline residents, to take a four-week challenge to reduce wasted food.

When I received the email about the Challenge, I thought I would definitely win the competition. (Don’t know how I could be so confident.) I thought I was a very rational person that did not waste much food.

For the next four weeks, I and the other participants measured our food waste. I set up a temporary trash can with a green compostable bag and started to measure how much I wasted.

It only took one week to realize how wrong I was. How could I waste food like this? Why don't I remember what I have in my refrigerator?

After that, I read the tips provided by King County carefully and applied some into my daily life. For example, checking my refrigerator before I went shopping for groceries.

When I was thinking about buying something not on my list at the store, I thought about the Food: Too Good to Waste Challenge and asked myself if I really needed it.

In addition, I tried to prepare 20 percent less food at mealtime and this helped reduce the amount of leftovers we had. No one in my house complained that there wasn’t enough to eat.

I feel so good after participating in the challenge because I saved money and reduced the amount of food that I tossed out.

My shopping habits have definitely changed. My refrigerator has more space now. I also reduced the frequency that I go grocery shopping. I’ve stuck with preparing less for dinners and it works for cutting back on leftovers. 

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Join the fight against food waste in your home too! Visit the Food: Too Good to Waste Challenge website or start with a few of the tips below: 

• Be realistic - make your shopping list based on how many meals you will eat at home.
• Have produce that’s past its prime? It may still be fine for cooking. Think soups, sauces, pies or smoothies.
• Casseroles, frittatas, stir fries, soups and smoothies are great ways to use leftovers, and odds and ends.
• Move food that’s likely to spoil soon to the front of the shelf or a designated “eat now” area each week.
• Are you likely to have leftovers from any of your meals? Plan on an “eat the leftovers” night each week.

These steps will help reduce the environmental and financial impacts of food waste.