7 Creative Ideas to Effectively Reduce Food Waste

Globally, about 1.3 billion tons of food intended for human consumption are wasted or lost every year, which could otherwise help reduce food waste and feed 3 billion people—almost twice the population of India, the world’s most populous country.

Food waste also accounts for a staggering 4.4 gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions annually. In fact, if food loss were a country, it would be the third-largest greenhouse gas emitter behind China and the US.

In India, food waste is a serious problem that often goes unnoticed or ignored. Every year, India discards around 68.8 million tons of food waste, accounting for 7% of the global total. This translates to roughly 50 kg of food waste per person annually in Indian households.

Therefore, food waste is a significant issue, but there are solutions! Here, I share some creative ways to reduce food waste and contribute to helping hungry people around the world:

7 Creative Ways to Reduce Food Waste

1. Join sharefood.eatrightindia.gov.in and feedingindia.org

When you have surplus food and are afraid that it will go to waste, visit these websites. Donate your food to these non-profit organizations to help the country fight against hunger.

Feeding India has collaborated with Zomato to eradicate hunger and malnutrition in India. The organization has served more than 14 crore meals so far. Their efforts are concerted towards providing better food to more people. Become part of them to contribute to tackling hunger by sharing or donating food.

2. Creative leftover cooking

Of course, India is a country where we show our talent with leftover ingredients in the kitchen. Yet many Indians are unaware of re-making ingredients or food creatively.

Be creative with those leftovers and make the best of them. One example is that you can use leftover boiled rice and add some spices to make spicy, delicious rice. Encourage yourself and your family members to find creative solutions for using leftovers and create awareness of the value of resources.

An image showing how to reduce food waste by reusing normal rice to make spiced rice. The image depicts cooked rice being transformed into a flavorful dish with spices, illustrating a practical way to repurpose leftover rice. — Reduce Food Waste: Repurpose Leftover Rice into Delicious Spiced Rice.

3. Host a leftover party

The leftover party in India is a new, creative way to reduce food waste. If you want to enjoy the remaking process, you can invite your relatives or friends along with their leftovers and create creative menus.

It is a fun way to do good deeds!

4. Recipe making app and website for leftovers

Use recipe-making apps and websites and input the details of your leftovers, and tada! You will get new menu ideas just by using those foods that are about to go to waste.

There are some dedicated apps for leftover recipes, like SuperCook and Cookpad. And websites like BigOven.com and no-leftovers.com. Other than that, you can get help from popular apps like ChatGPT and Gemini.

5. Rely on your senses

If the best-before date has passed, this does not mean that the product is no longer edible. Open the expired yogurt and try it instead of throwing it in the bin without checking it.

Your eyes, nose, and mouth are usually helpful in determining whether the product is still good. But be careful with the use-by date of fish and meat; this should generally be adhered to!

If you have food that you don’t plan to consume before it goes bad, consider sharing it with friends, family, neighbors, or those in need.

Just Google “Top NGOs for Food Donation in <your city>,” and you will have a list of organizations to donate your food to. You can also donate non-perishable food to local charities.

7. Composting

Last but not least, Do you have food that is not edible? Use it to convert it into compost. This will help create natural fertilizer for your plants and close the nutrient cycle in a sustainable way.

I found a guide that will be helpful for you: Click here.

Or you can use products from DailyDump.org to make composting a least-effort task.

An illustration showing how to reduce food waste by converting non-edible food into compost. The image highlights the process of creating natural fertilizer for plants, promoting a sustainable nutrient cycle. — Reduce Food Waste: Turn Non-Edible Food into Valuable Compost for Sustainable Gardening.

I hope this blog provides practical, creative ways to fight against food waste. If so, please share it with your friends so that they can be aware of this huge problem along with the creative solutions.