Clever fridge organisers to help reduce food waste
The kitchen is one of the hardest-working spaces in our home. As a result, it can become a hotbed of clutter. Within this space, the fridge is one often-overlooked area that could usually do with a revamp.
WRAP estimates that the UK creates around 9.5 million tonnes of food waste per year – 70% of which comes from individual households – at a cost of over £19 billion and more than 25 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.
In busy households especially, a crammed fridge can lead to foods being pushed to the back and forgotten, after which point they need to be thrown away. Overly-stuffed shelves makes it trickier to see what you've got hiding away, so it’s harder to plan meals that make the most of your ingredients. As a result, you're more likely to go out and buy extra.
The best fridge organisers
Luckily, there are plenty of fridge organisers out there to help solve this problem, so you can tackle food waste and keep the space tidier at the same time.
We've rounded up a selection of fridge boxes, to help you see supplies at-a-glance, along with some preservation bags and food savers to keep produce fresher for longer.
Fridge organisers to store supplies properly
Using clear plastic containers means you can stack things neatly while still being able to see what you have to hand. It’s much easier to pull out a whole box, find what you need then replace it, rather than rooting around your shelves and dislodging precariously-stored items.
These fridge organisers are especially useful for cans (if you’ve tried keeping fizzy drinks cans in their cardboard packaging, only for it to go soggy and stick to the shelf, you’ll understand) or to clearly define separate areas in your fridge.
Keeping food in containers can also make cleaning easier. As everything is kept off the shelves directly, there should be fewer spills or smears. The vast majority of fridge organisers can simply be popped in the dishwasher.
Clipping additional drawers to the bottom of shelves can also create valuable additional space for items like cheese or fruits.
Fridge organisers to keep food fresh
There are lots of easy ways to keep foods with a short shelf life, like fruit and vegetables, fresher for longer. Leftovers? Swap cling-film for more sustainable alternatives like reusable beeswax wraps. These fit over your food or bowl and can be used for most dishes, except meat and fish, which should be kept in airtight containers.
Rogue avocado and onion halves can be stored neatly in a silicone pod. These are airtight to preserve freshness and stop pungent smells escaping. Similarly, there are slice boxes for cheese and cold meats, designed to stop them from oxidising or drying out once you’ve opened the packet.
Finally, it pays to line your salad drawer and shelves with a food mat. The porous base helps air to circulate effectively, keeping fruit and veg cool and less likely to rot prematurely. It can also be used to line your fruit bowl – just cut it to size.
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