Nutrition Centre rummages through rubbish bags: ‘We throw away €120 a year’
As part of a major study into what people throw away, the Nutrition Centre empties rubbish bags at a waste-processing company. In the average rubbish bag, they find all kinds of food packaging, some of it still unopened. ‘Think about what food you still have at home before you go grocery shopping,’ says the spokesperson.
They find lots of bread, vegetables, fruit and dairy products. In fact, all kinds of things are thrown away, but bread in particular. ‘We know that bread is often wasted. That can easily be reduced by freezing it immediately after buying it and taking out of the freezer only what you need each time. This prevents it from going stale, so you won’t want to eat it anymore.’
34 kilos a year
An average household throws away 34 kilos of food a year. That is quite a lot. The Nutrition Centre has been campaigning against food waste for years. They argue that it is good for the environment and your wallet. ‘We can reduce our environmental impact by 9% by throwing away less food,’ they write on their website. ‘Moreover, you can save up to around €120 a year.’ According to the Nutrition Centre, the trick is to shop smartly and store food properly.
Container of food
To find out more about food waste, the Nutrition Centre is rummaging through rubbish bags. Residents in a few urban neighbourhoods completed short questionnaires. Some residents were given tips on how to use their food sparingly. Another group received not only tips, but also tools such as the food buddy, a container for measuring out the right amount of food. A control group simply carried on as usual. In this way, the Nutrition Centre aims to investigate which measures work best.
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Source: Nu.nl
