Reducing food waste at home starts with decluttering your fridge. By organizing items strategically, you make it easier to see and access what you already have and also prevent forgotten items from lurking in the back and spoiling.
Excerpted from A Year of Compassion: 52 Weeks of Living Zero-Waste, Plant-Based, and Cruelty-Free by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. Published by Island Press ©2025, reprinted by permission.
A well-organized fridge helps you keep track of expiring food, utilize leftovers, and plan meals effectively. Set aside a few hours for this task. If you’ve never done it before, it will take a little time to make it organized, but once you’ve got a system in place, it will take less time to keep it organized:
1 Start by taking everything out of your fridge, even those unidentifiable bits hiding in the back of the produce drawers. Properly dispose of expired items.
2 Wipe down all the shelves and drawers.
3 Use a “lazy Susan” / turntable (or two) to keep your commonly used ingredients and condiments in sight and to prevent leftovers from getting forgotten about in the back. If you’ve started this project before buying a lazy Susan, use large plates as placeholders.
4 Alternatively, use clear plastic bins to organize your main shelves. Your refrigerator likely has designated areas like crisper drawers, but you can add more by using these trays and bins, which maintain order and simplify the process of pulling out items when you need them.
5 Arrange your refrigerator based on your cooking and eating habits: keep frequently used items or items you want to finish in easy-to-reach spots, and place ingredients you use less frequently in areas that are a little less accessible.
6 Keep your leftovers organized and well sealed with airtight food storage containers. Use masking tape to label the date and items within.
7 Make sure your refrigerator is set to the optimal temperature to keep food fresh. The recommended temperature is around 37°F (3°C) for the main compartment and 0°F (−18°C) for the freezer.
8 Keep newer items behind older ones to ensure that nothing gets forgotten or expires. This practice helps you use up older items before they spoil.
9 Hang a whiteboard or chalkboard near your fridge/freezer to maintain a list of what needs to be eaten first.
Organize the freezer: Similarly, when it comes to your freezer, label and date items before storing them in clear containers or bags. Group similar items together, store them properly (in airtight containers), and rotate items regularly in order to use older ones first.
While this may not be the last time you will have to declutter your fridge and freezer, if you keep them organized, it will never take as long as the first time. Learn more in A Year of Compassion, Week 25: “Your Fridge Is Not a Compost Bin: Eat Leftovers” for more about eating leftovers as a means for preventing food from spoiling in the refrigerator and getting freezer burn in the freezer.
A Year of Compassion is available wherever books are sold
More about A Year of Compassion
Colleen Patrick-Goudreau is an acclaimed speaker, NPR contributor, and best-selling author affectionately known as the Joyful Vegan.
In A Year of Compassion (Island Press, 3/25/25), Colleen shares simple, impactful actions anyone can take over the course of a year make humankind a little kinder by protecting animals, supporting the planet, and optimizing health.
Her work reminds people that while we can’t do everything, what we can do matters. Inspiring and motivating, Colleen offers approachable steps and new ideas for compassionate living, including:
- Do a personal waste and consumption audit for a week
- Get prepared to help sick, injured, or lost animals you might encounter
- Implement changes – small and big – to create wildlife habitat at your home
- Try doing a 30-day vegan challenge or baking without any animal products
- Choose safe, environmentally-friendly toys and foods for pets
- Put your new skills into practice and host a zero waste party
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