Dufferin County continues with food waste reduction campaign

Written By PAULA BROWN

LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER

Dufferin Waste is revisiting their Plan to Save: Reduce Food Waste, to help residents to learn about food habits and waste, with the launch of their 8-week challenge starting in November. 

“As we continue to experience a new normal, it's likely that household are stocking up on groceries to make less trips to the grocery store. Families might even be eating more home-cooked meals than usual,” said Scott Burns, director of public works for the County. “We wanted to launch this campaign to remind the community that resources are available to help them reduce foo waste at home as it can become a problem and cost money.” 

The Plan to Save: Reduce Food Waste campaign was first introduced in 2019, as a joint effort between Dufferin Waste and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health. The eight-week challenge looks to educate residents on their food waste habits, how to waste less food, and how to save more money while eating healthier. 

“This fall, our goal is to remind the community of how they can reduce food waste in their households by using our Plan to Save resources and following the weekly challenges on their own time,” said Burns.

During the campaign last year, Dufferin Waste saw 95 participants sign up for the challenge, and distributed 90 Plan to Save kits, that included educational resources. Online the effort saw 800 hits on their campaign page, over 30,000 people engaging via social media, and over 450 views on their professional videos. 

According to a press release from Dufferin Waste, an estimated $1500 worth of food per year is thrown way by the average household. 

“Reducing food waste is an ongoing process and success is based on how consistent each household is with building habits to reduce food waster, some will catch on much quicker than others,” said Burns. 

Dufferin Waste will be using Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to share tips and more information on food waste, while also giving resources such as a meal planner on the Dufferin County website. 

“Residents will learn about the difference between edible and inedible food waste and the cost of food waste. They will also learn how to plan ahead by creating meal plans and using a shopping list before their next trip to the grocery store,” said Burns. “Residents will also learn how to preserve what they buy with our Produce Storage Guide, and the Refrigerate Infographic provides knowledge on how to properly stock the fridge to maintain freshness.” 

The campaign started the first week of November and will run into December.