As much as we try not to, the truth is food waste happens. Wilting lettuce in the crisper drawer, uneaten leftovers in the back of the fridge, broccoli stalks tossed in the trash – all of it really adds up. Households in the U.S. waste a staggering 76 billion pounds of food per year. About 68% of that trashed food could have been eaten. If that’s not enough, the average person in the U.S. wastes about 21% of the food they buy, costing them approximately $1800 per year!

Food waste is one of the largest contributors to water waste and makes up a huge portion of our landfills, which as it breaks down releases methane, a greenhouse gas that’s up to 86 times more powerful than carbon dioxide.

With Earth Day just around the corner, what can you do to help lower those numbers? Quite a bit actually and it is easier than you think. We’ve got 5 easy things you can do to start reducing food waste in your kitchen right now.

1. Plan Your Meals and make a plan to use up everything you buy. This will not only save you time in the long run but also help you avoid making unnecessary purchases.
2. Store your food properly. Not all fruits and veggies belong in the fridge and some can actually cause others to ripen faster. Learn how to make your food last longer by prioritizing how you keep it and the order you eat it.
3. Cook with scraps. Take advantage of every part of your produce from root to leaf. Eat the skin, turn scraps into vegetable stock, turn leafy tops into pesto, blend up overripe fruit into a smoothie, and be sure to compost anything that you can’t creatively use.
4. Save it to savor it. Clock ticking to use up your produce? Buy yourself some time by freezing, dehydrating, or preserving fresh fruits and vegetables for use at a later date.
5. Eat Your Leftovers. Portion out your dinner extras into lunch sized meals, label them, and store in clear containers at the front of your fridge so that they stay top of mind.

Another easy way to reduce food waste is to save it at the source. Hungry Harvest produce delivery rescues farm fresh fruits, vegetables and pantry staples and brings them right to your door. Customizable boxes are available in a variety of sizes and options – including organic – and start at just $15. Every Harvest saves at least 10 pounds of produce from going to waste and helps support the work of local hunger-solving organizations around the DMV, as well as Hungry Harvest’s own pandemic relief initiatives. Since 2014, Hungry Harvest has reduced over 27 million pounds of food waste and donated or subsidized over 1.7 million pounds of produce to partner organizations and through their own food access programs.

Sign up up now with promo code DCIST50 and save 50% on your first harvest at hungryharvest.net/dcist