A WEEKLY GUIDE OF TIPS TO REDUCING FOOD WASTE

REDUCE, REUSE AND SAVE MONEY!

Every day at GWI, we see food waste. We see good food and bad, and all types of compostable waste. But food waste predominates all of the other types of waste we capture. Everyone, without exception, creates food waste. Every food preparation scrap or uneaten bite is waste. Every mold covered dish hiding in the back of the refrigerator…all of it is wasted food. Our ability to compost it and grow more of it defines sustainability. But even so, and as good as that is, shouldn’t we do what we can to reduce it?

So, here’s what Green With Indy is going to do:
Every week we will publish tips on how to reduce the amount of food waste created and share our perspective on what we eat, and why and how it impacts our earth. Hopefully, you will enjoy what’s offered and share, share, share. And when in doubt, share again.

So, let’s begin with some basic benefits to reducing food waste:

It saves you money by buying less food and having less to compost.

Monitoring your food waste directly relates to your pocketbook. If you were a commercial kitchen, this would be called an audit. This is where evaluating your waste and assigning a $ value to it, will quickly identify how much money you are throwing away daily or weekly.

It keeps food out of landfills and reduces methane emissions. This lowers your carbon (fossil fuel) footprint. It’s the soot that oil leaves behind. Soot is not compostable.

The earth is blazin’, freakin’ hot and food rotting in a landfill adds methane gas, which conducts and holds more heat than carbon monoxide. Hands down, it’s the single, most important reason to reduce waste or compost what’s wasted. So, less food rotting in a landfill means less gas heating up the atmosphere. In a nutshell, life on the planet continues. A basic, right? Also, you can’t grow food in a landfill. Also relevant.

It conserves energy and resources. Waste-related pollution involved in the growing, manufacturing, transporting, and selling of food (not to mention hauling the food waste and then landfilling it) decreases. Conversely, increasing the number of small, locally-owned organic family farms reduces our vulnerability to corporate food systems.
It supports your community by providing donated untouched food that would have otherwise gone to waste and shows that we care for each other.
Compost through #greenwithindy. It is the last thing to do that reduces food waste. Nothing better defines sustainability…it’s the circle of life of food.

To learn more, subscribe for curbside food waste compost collection: www.greenwithindy.com/product-page

Do you service my neighborhood?

We get this question often. And, we encourage it due to not wanting to limit growth into new areas. But, being a small company, we can’t do it alone. We need and request your help, dear reader. Here’s how you can help.

To establish a new route we need 50 residential customers, per subdivision, apartment/condo or neighborhood. Because we get these request often, we ask those who are interested to consider becoming a green ambassador to bring composting into their community.

You might consider becoming an ambassador for developing a “ground up” movement for the service in your community. Here are nine things to consider that are built on a common theme…

Organize youth advocates is key to changing the community

Begin with your street. Put green boots on the ground and knock on some doors. Select the neighbor that recycles and speak with them about composting. Be bold and say hello. If he/she responds, that’s your opening. Ask them about recycling, then bring up composting as part of a complete recycling household. Education is key. Visit our FAQ page for talking points.
If not yours, find kids on the block who would be willing to knock on doors. We can provide education materials.
Reach out to youth organizations in schools, Scouts or Boys and Girls Clubs. We can help with information and training.
Find church based organizations for youth ministries or environmental groups to contact with the message of being stewards of the earth.
Contact your local HOA or condo board. Recyclable rollout bins will identify those who might be receptive to composting. Again, we can help with educational materials.
Contact apartment property managers of multi-unit complexes
Contact local small businesses via local business and trade associations.
Ask local restaurants to compost. Ask if they compost waste? If no, ask them what would it take for them to compost? Ask if they would consider it? And, if they say no, go "Greta Thunberg" on them and say “How Dare You!”:) Dumping their straws and redirecting that budget will pay for the cost of composting. Again, we can help with all educational materials.
Contact local, small farmers(they may have compostable materials to collect or be beneficiaries of compost material) and gardening clubs for their help.