Here are some of the best hacks to help you reduce food waste and save money

It turns out that Kiwis waste more food than we should.

But there are some simple and easy changes we can all make to help tackle one of the planet’s most pressing social and environmental issues – and save ourselves some money.

The average Kiwi household wastes $1520 of food every year, nationally that adds up to $3.1 billion worth of food per year that we buy and throw away uneaten.

So here are some of the best tips that you can try to cut down on food waste.

Get stalking

- Totally edible and delicious - yet Kiwis throw away over 2,500 tonnes of broccoli stalks and leaves every year. What. A. Waste. Broccoli stalks are also a good source of fibre, vitamins A, C, B2 (riboflavin), B6 and folate

All the scrubs

- Kiwis bin over 13,568 tonnes of vegetable peelings and 986 tonnes of fruit peelings a year - that’s equal to about 41 million meals of fruit and vege annually.

- Most of these don't even need peeling - with a scrub and wash you are reducing food waste and keeping all the nutrients.

Love your leaves

- Celery leaf pesto, broccoli leaves in a smoothie and roasted cauliflower leaves are all to be celebrated

Keep it in the dark

- Remove potatoes, kumara, onions, and garlic from bags and store in a cool, dark place - keep potatoes and onions apart

Get labelling!

- Grab a sharpie and note when all your yummy food is opened. And dare not open a new packet if there’s one already open!

Use-it-up shelf

- Take five and scavenge the kitchen for what’s got to go.

Savour your scraps

- Transform leftovers into pizzas, frittatas, bakes, stews and soups, pickles and pies – or opt for something sweet baking and smoothies to die for

Fix your fridge

- First and foremost, your fridge should always be between 3-5 degree Celsius – time to tune it in!

- Store new food at the back of the fridge, keep older food at the front

- Different foods last longer in different parts of the fridge. Check the downloads for the best places to store your groceries

And freeze!

- Freeze those bananas, avocados, lemons, eggs, cheese, herbs, flour – you really can freeze it all!

This week saw New Zealand’s very first Zero Food Waste Challenge take place, with the support of Countdown.

"Eighty-six per cent of Kiwis believe that wasting food is wrong, but with so much information around it’s hard to know where to start,” Veronica Shale, founder of the Zero Food Waste Challenge said. “The Challenge is all about supporting Kiwis to do what they can to reduce their food waste and partnering with Countdown has given us the boost we need to make it happen.

"Our aim is to spark conversations and give people the tools and tips they need to do their part with a smile. New Zealand doesn’t need a few people doing everything perfectly, we need everyone to do what they can – a million people making a small change would make a fantastic difference for our planet.”