This episode is published in collaboration with CozZo*

There’s a BIG focus at the moment on plastic pollution isn’t there?
Since Blue Planet II aired it feels like it’s an issue that has really caught people’s attention and is something that we’re all wanting to do something about. Which is obviously great, but plastic pollution is just none part of the bigger issue of the climate crisis. And actually, I would say that attempting to tackle the amount of single use plastic we bring home each week after a supermarket shop is right up there in terms of difficulty. We need big changes in the way our supermarkets package our foods and all the infrastructure that supports that.
So sometimes, when I’m helping people to take sustainable(ish) steps and can see that they’re getting frustrated and feel like they’re not really making much progress when it comes to plastic in the kitchen, I suggest a little re-focus. You see for a lot less effort, I reckon you can actually have a bigger impact on the climate crisis by tackling food waste.

Here are some stats to back up my bold statement:

• If food waste were a country it would be the third biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after the USA and China
• 50% of all food waste occurs in the home. So of all the food that is wasted, from the farm, through the supermarkets, and then on to us, half of that occurs in our homes.

So just from those two stats, we can see that if we can reduce or even eliminate food waste in our homes, we can have a massive impact on greenhouse gas emissions. It’s not often that as individuals and families we have the opportunity to have such a direct impact, and it’s actually a relatively easy thing to tackle, AND something that we have complete control over. We don’t need to wait for supermarkets to change their ways, or for governments to get off their butts and legislate. How awesome is that?!

Now I’m sure as avid listeners to this podcast you’re probably sat there feeling a little smug and thinking that you don’t waste any food. And if that’s true, than I want to give you a massive high five. But I think if we’re really honest with ourselves, even the best intentioned amongst us will forget about the odd tupperware pot of leftovers tucked at the back of the fridge, or a packet of ham or fish that doesn’t get eaten in time because plans change. Which is why I was really excited to be approached by CozZo to help to promote their food inventory app. It’s really super easy to use, and they have found that users have reduced their food waste by between 50 and 70%, which is pretty mind blowing!

So grab a cuppa, sit back and relax and listen in to how your phone can help you fight food waste.   

Useful links

• CozZo
  - Website
  - Facebook
  - Instagram
  - Twitter
• Olio - food sharing app
• Too Good to Go - app helping cafes and restaurants distribute their leftovers at the end of the day
• Easy ways to eat sustainably (blog post) 
• Sustainable(ish) Tips and Ideas for food (blog post)
  

* A note on ads, sponsored posts and collaborations on Sustainable(ish):
I only work with brands and companies that I strongly feel fit with the sustainable(ish) ethos. That is, companies that have people and planet at their heart, and have rigorous environmental and ethical credentials and that are general Good Eggs.

[…]