The Simple Fridge Hack That Prevents Food Waste

Unfortunately, everyone knows that tragic feeling of letting gorgeous fresh produce spoil in the mysterious depths of the fridge. It's an endless cycle in which people promise themselves "this time" will be different, and nothing will go to waste. But of course, many people still find themselves throwing out an untouched, rotten head of lettuce from time to time.

It may be easy to blame ourselves for wasting groceries, but in an interview with Washington Post, behavioral scientist and associate professor at University of British Columbia Jiaying Zhao explained that fridge designs just don't make allowances for human behavior. After all, most fridges provide opaque drawers for produce, which make it exceedingly easy to forget about the fruits and vegetables you recently purchased.

The phenomenon of forgetting about groceries is a widespread problem across the United States, as 92 billion pounds of food are wasted every year (via Feeding America). When it comes to the most effective way to reduce your food waste, the old saying "Out of sight, out of mind," holds true. Make sure your food is visible in the fridge and has a designated zone where you know to look for it.

To combat food waste, the primary step is making sure that all your produce is visible. Simply by making sure that you can see all your perishable groceries, you'll be more likely to use them. Start by storing the fruits and vegetables outside of your fridge drawers. (And before you start making improvements to your fridge, be sure to double check that you're not making any storage mistakes that are ruining your food, like storing things in incorrect containers.)

Though it can be tempting to chuck things haphazardly into the fridge, using clear organizational storage containers will help preserve food, while helping you maintain a mental spreadsheet of everything inside your fridge. Cluttered regions create opportunities for groceries to be forgotten and spoil. To make things even easier, consider organizing your fridge into different sections. You could create sections based on date of purchase, type of food, or any other standard that will help you remember what's what.

With so much food wasted across the United States every year, taking the simple step to make sure your groceries are visible can make a big difference. In fact, according to Feeding America, a shocking 38% of America's food goes to waste. Just by improving the set-up of your fridge, you can help reduce this percentage.

Simultaneously, better fridge organization and decreased food waste can play a role in combating climate change. Food waste is the culprit behind roughly 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, because food thrown into landfills will releases methane into the atmosphere (via the Natural Resources Defense Council). By eating or using everything you buy, you'll be helping to make a difference. You'll even see personal benefits by reducing your food waste. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), each person can save up to $370 per year by cutting down on the amount of food they throw out. Every piece of food saved from the trash can make an impact.