2022 Food Waste Challenge
This year Buncombe County joins Asheville in recognizing April as Food Waste Reduction Month!
Why a whole month dedicated to food waste education, you ask? Almost half of food produced in the United States is wasted! Here in Buncombe County, an estimated 57,500 tons of food is wasted annually. Most of the waste is buried in the ground as landfill. Food that is thrown away also wastes all of the land, water, and energy that it takes to grow, store, and transport it. We all need healthy food to live and grow, so we’re investigating how to waste less food and live more sustainably.
In celebration of Food Waste Reduction Month, we’re bringing you the latest food waste stats, tips to reduce food waste in your home and community, and inspiring best practices from leaders around the globe and here in WNC. Follow along on the website or Instagram @wncfoodwaste so you won’t miss a thing and to join the Food Waste Challenge! Participants can enter as many times as they like for a chance to win one of three amazing prize packages. At the end of April, we will randomly select three winners.
STEP 1:
Pick one, two, or do all 9! Each challenge is a new entry so the more you do, the better your chances of winning an amazing prize.
STEP 2:
As you complete a challenge, simply comment on one of our challenge posts or share your pics and videos on Instagram—just be sure to tag @wncfoodwaste to ensure you’re entered to win!
- Conduct a home food waste audit. Follow the handy Home Food Waste Audit Worksheet and tell us/show us what you learn about your food habits!
- Bring food scraps to one of two City of Asheville drop-off sites! Read more and register here.
- Follow @wickedweedbrewing to track the great work this Asheville-born brewery is doing to reduce food waste. Stay tuned for updates about a special May 1st event featuring local chefs!
- Start composting at home! If you already compost, tell us about it. If you’re new to composting, read more to get started.
- Sign up for our Email Newsletter. Don’t miss a thing. Sign up!
- Share your home food waste hacks! Do you have an amazing tip for storing or using food that might go to waste? These are game-changers for reducing our collective food waste footprint so don’t keep them to yourself!
- Create a new recipe using food “scraps”! Show us your carrot top pesto and kale stem soup! Need some inspiration? Follow local food maven, Ashley English @smallmeasure
- Try New Belgium’s Citrus Rescue IPA! This limited release was brewed with approximately 35,000 imperfect oranges in partnership with Imperfect Foods.
- Meal Plan your week. It’s all about planning ahead and is one of the simplest ways to avoid food waste at home. Get started.
How many times can I enter this challenge?
You can enter as many times as you like. The more you enter, the greater your chances of winning a prize, of course. But our goal is to raise awareness and enthusiasm around reducing food waste so the more the merrier. Don’t forget to tag @wncfoodwaste on Instagram each time you enter!
Do I have to enter by April 1st?
No, you can enter any time throughout the month of April (even the last day! Of course, we hope you’ll get involved sooner!)
When will prize winners be announced?
We will randomly select three winners during the first week of May.
Are the prizes really amazing?
Yes. Yes, they are. Visit our instagram for details!
Don’t forget to tag @wncfoodwaste on Instagram!
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