Wasted Food Reduction at Home

Food Recycling – What Is It?

The Mitchell Center’s Maine Food Waste Solution focuses not only on food recycling, but on food recovery as a whole. In order to recover food effectively, we adhere to the food recovery hierarchy. The food recovery hierarchy is a process that allows us to use food at every stage of its life – first reduce unwanted food, then feed hungry people, then feed animals, then compost (food recycling), and finally dispose of non-compostable items in landfills.

Food recycling is the composting step of the food recovery hierarchy. Any leftover food scraps that are no longer edible to humans and animals are composted so that eventually the nutrients can be returned to the soil. This process mimics the cyclical manner of sustainability– compost helps crops to grow, crops become food for people and animals, leftover food is composted, and then the cycle can continue.

How to Recycle Food

  1. Put all food to discard in a container with a lid on the kitchen counter or in the freezer
  2. Empty your food container at a drop-off site
  3. Rinse your container and repeat!

Want to Begin Composting at Home? 

Follow the following links from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for some guidelines!

Basic Info and Composting at Home

Vermicomposting

image of food recovery hierarchy

Maine Food Recovery Hierarchy

Reduce Unwanted Food

  • Inventory grocery stock/pantry
  • Buy and cook only what you need
  • Conduct a wasted food audit
  • Use leftovers

Feed Hungry People:

  • Donate to food banks
  • Partner with organizations that collect and distribute perishable food

Feed Animals

  • Contact local farms to see if they can use the scraps

Compost or Convert to Fuel

Dispose

What can and can't be recycled. The following can be recycled: The following cannot be recycled:
You can compost: fruits and vegetables, kitchen food scraps, eggs and eggshells, leftover food, flowers, coffee grounds, meat and bones, seafood and shells, cheese and yogurt. You cannot compost: paper and cardboard, trash, food packaging, plastic and compostable ware, plastic cups and straws, beverage cartons, plastic bags and wrap, paper cups, used diapers

Wasted Food Reduction Techniques

Before even getting to the food recycling stage, there are many ways to reduce your wasted food with smart planning, shopping, and cooking techniques. Take some time to read a few of the articles below to find out how you can make sure that you are saving food- and money- with a few daily habits. 


Recipes for Leftover Food and Food Scraps


Meal Planning

Proper Food Storage


Proper food shopping

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picture of three people cooking and smiling at the camera
How Much food do you really waste? Take the quiz
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