Riverside County to provide free virtual food waste, rescue class

Riverside County will host a free online food waste and food rescue class on Saturday, officials announced Tuesday.

The hour-long virtual class starts at 9 a.m., is accessible on any computer, tablet or smartphone and “is a great way to learn methods to get the most out of the food you purchase and create lasting habits that will keep food on your plate and out of the trash can,” Janet Moreland, supervising recycling specialist with the Riverside County Department of Waste Resources, said in a statement.

An average family of four spends between $1,500 and $2,000 annually on food they never eat, officials said. “If you’d like to save money and help the environment by wasting less food, then our food waste/food rescue virtual class is for you!”

Nationwide 119 billion pounds of food is wasted each year, which equates to 130 billion meals and more than $408 billion in food thrown away, according to Feeding America. Nearly 40% of all food in America is wasted, including about 42 billion pounds from noncommercial U.S. residences. 

The county’s food-management class addresses the food cycle from beginning to end, according to the county. The class offers tips on buying at the grocery store, resources to manage food when it is stored in the home as well as recipes for using items approaching their expiration dates. 

The internet-based class on food waste and rescue is free and will end by 10 a.m. Attendees do not have to register for the class, which is accessible via rcwaste.org/free-classes and selecting the “Food Rescue” class tab, then clicking on the “Webex” hyperlink to join the live instructional session.

“These programs are offered to teach residents about the importance of food waste prevention and how it preserves valuable space in county landfills,” officials said. “The Riverside County Department of Waste Resources offers a variety of FREE environmental education classes related to waste reduction and sustainability. Class instructors provide attendees with professional learning and instructional materials that demonstrate environmental diversion themes such as composting, recycling, and green cleaning.”

More information is available by calling 951-486-3200, checking out rcwaste.org/free-classes or emailing WasteCommunityOutreach@rivco.org.