April is Earth Month, the perfect time to make a meaningful impact on the environment and your community. We’re also celebrating Food Waste Prevention Week, April 7-13, 2025, with simple tips to prevent food waste and information on drop-off sites in Franklin County. No matter your eco-experience, there are easy steps for everyone to help tackle food waste.
5 TIPS TO PREVENT FOOD WASTE
- Plan Your Meals: Before shopping, create a meal plan and make a shopping list to purchase only what you need.
- Understand Expiration Dates: “Use-by” dates indicate safety, while “best if used by” dates refer to quality. Trust your senses — if it smells and tastes good, it often is. Knowing the difference can prevent unnecessary discarding of food.
- Store Food Properly: Keep perishables in appropriate conditions and use airtight containers for dry goods to extend shelf life.
- Use Leftovers Creatively: Incorporate leftovers into new meals to avoid waste and add variety to your diet — like turning this mouthwatering Roast Lamb recipe into flavorful sandwiches, stews and wraps for tomorrow’s meals.
- Use What You Have: Swap ingredients based on what’s in your kitchen and explore creative alternatives to make dishes your own.
FIND A FOOD WASTE DROP OFF SITE
Don’t toss those food scraps — compost them! The Community Food Waste Drop Off Program offers a free, easy way for residents to dispose of kitchen scraps like vegetable peels and coffee grounds. Find a drop-off site near you and help turn food waste into valuable compost while keeping it out of landfills.
Click here to find a site near you.
BECOME A COMPOSTING LEGEND
If you’re new to composting, starting with food scraps is a great way to reduce waste. Here are some easy tips for collecting your food scraps:
- Start Small: Collect food scraps like fruit and vegetable peels, coffee grounds and eggshells in a countertop bin before transferring them to your compost pile or drop-off site.
- Balance Greens & Browns: Mix “green” materials (food scraps, grass clippings) with “brown” materials (leaves, cardboard, newspaper) to keep your compost healthy and odor-free.
- Get a Discounted Composter: Through the Community Backyards Program, Franklin County residents can attend a composting class and apply for a discounted backyard compost bin to start composting at home.
To help introduce residents to composting at home, SWACO has partnered with Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District to offer a limited number of Earth Machine On-the-Ground Compost Bins at a discounted price. Learn more here.
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Reducing food waste starts with smart planning and proper disposal. Follow Fresh Takes for expert tips on prevention, composting and making the most of every ingredient. Learn more at SaveMoreThanFood.org/FreshTakes.
