Backyard Compost Challenge: Making a Difference Together

Eight weeks into this year's Backyard Compost Challenge, many of our participating households are gaining confidence with the composting process. How do we know? They've already diverted almost 3,000 pounds of food waste from our landfill.

This made us curious about an upstream question: What can we do to prevent food waste to begin with? This past week, we asked the 2026 Slop Superstars for their advice, and they delivered:

Laudable Leftovers 

Many participants noted that whenever possible, we make good use of leftover food. As one put it, “I try to use up everything. If I have leftover meat or vegetables I add them to soups or freeze them to add to soups or sauces later. I make smoothies with leftover fruit and frozen fruit and even sometimes add leftover veggies.” Another noted that eating out is a great generator of tasty meals: “If we go out to eat we bring home the leftovers and have them for lunch, dinner or snacks.” 

Marvelous Meal Planning

Several composters described the benefits of meal planning to reduce the amount of food they toss. As one mother put it, “I have initiated a weekly menu set for dinners (something I did when my children were younger and I got tired of being asked, “What’s for dinner” the minute I came home from work). This makes me plan and rotate meal ideas and lets me go shopping just once a week.” Others described planning meals with what’s already available at home – a practice sometimes called “shopping your pantry”: “If I have food in the fridge, I plan meals so that I will use it.” Another participant had a simple guideline to reduce uneaten food: “We try to only buy foods we all like to eat.”

Fabulous Freezing

Part of meal planning can involve saving food for later, and the star of that practice is the freezer. One participant wrote, “At our house we buy food in bulk or larger quantities and freeze the extra for later. We also freeze leftovers or eat them for lunch or dinner 2-3 days afterwards.” Another freezes the bounty from her family’s hunting: “My husband is a hunter and usually gets 1-3 deer a year. We get it all packaged and freeze it.”  

Gracious Giving

Many participants found ways to reduce waste by sharing with others – both human and animal. One wrote that, quite simply, “We eat everything we can and share with others as well.” Another household explained, “We share any healthy, dog friendly food with our dog Penny.” An especially animal-friendly participant noted that “We have a lot of animals so we feed extras to our chickens and pigs. They don’t mind when apples are a little mealy or the lettuce is a little wily. This also helps us cut down on feed costs for them.” When sharing with children, one mother said she’s careful to serve feasible portions: “When I dish up meals, I try to only give my kids what they will eat so that we don't have wasted food on their plates.” 

Sweet Simplicity

One participant helpfully pointed out that reducing food waste doesn’t have to feel like rocket science. “I don’t think we do anything unusual to reduce food waste,” she wrote. “We just try to be mindful and not wasteful, as much as possible.” Happily, her new Earth Machine is proving an essential ally: “The composting is helping us do that a lot!” 

Thank you again for all of your fantastic food waste advice, Slop Superstars.