Keep a one-week food waste log
Record disposal events for seven ordinary days, then identify one repeated reason and one small change to observe next.
This one starts with a blank record.
You run the protocol and keep the observations. CrispSum has not visited your kitchen or filled in measurements, quotes, photographs, or results for this page.
Record what the household discards, why it was discarded, and what was happening at the time, then choose one small change to watch during a later week.
Households that want a clearer picture of one week's discarded food and can use consistent, practical estimates.
Annual waste rates, environmental-impact estimates, food-safety or nutrition judgments, or verified financial savings.
Materials and baseline
Start with the routine as it is. Tidying it first would hide the problems you are trying to find.
Materials
- Blank seven-day log
Keep it near the place where disposal decisions are usually made or use the editable CSV on a device.
- Receipt or price history, optional
Use it only when it gives you a basis for the estimated cost. Otherwise, leave the cost blank.
- Household measure, optional
A cup, spoon, package fraction, or kitchen scale can help, but a consistent practical estimate is acceptable.
- Shared reason list
Agree on a short set of reasons before the week begins so similar events are classified consistently.
- Daily reminder
A brief end-of-day completeness check reduces reliance on memory without changing food-handling decisions.
Baseline record
- 1Choose seven ordinary days
Record the start and end dates, household size, away-from-home meals, guests, travel, celebrations, or other context that could make the week unusual.
- 2Define what counts
Include edible food discarded to trash, drain, compost, or another destination. Decide whether inedible preparation parts will be logged and label them separately.
- 3Define avoidable status
Use Yes, No, or Unsure. The label is for household planning; it is not a safety instruction or a judgment about anyone.
- 4Do not pre-correct behavior
Begin with the current routine if the goal is a baseline. Note any change already underway rather than pretending the week is unaffected.
Work through the routine once
If a step remains unfinished, mark it that way. Keep the notes as they were recorded during the session.
- 01
Open the observation week
Write the date range, household context, included disposal destinations, reason categories, and amount units the household can use consistently.
Record: Week start, week end, household context, inclusion rules, and measurement method. - 02
Log at the disposal decision
Record the food when it is discarded. Never keep questionable food or delay disposal so it can be measured later.
Record: Date, meal or context, food item, food form, amount, unit, and destination. - 03
Record the immediate reason
Use the closest observed reason, such as over-purchased, hidden, schedule changed, disliked, over-prepared, storage problem, or inedible part.
Record: Discard reason, avoidable status, and a short handling or scheduling note. - 04
Estimate cost only when you have a basis
Use a receipt, package price and fraction, or another source you can name. If you would have to guess, leave the cost blank.
Record: Estimated cost, currency, and cost basis. - 05
Check completeness daily
At the end of each day, check whether an event was missed and note uncertainty. Do not recreate detailed events from vague memory.
Record: Completeness status and uncertainty note. - 06
Group the week's entries
Total only the fields recorded consistently. Group repeated reasons, and keep inedible parts separate from potentially avoidable events.
Record: Category totals, reason counts, missing-data note, and unusual-week context. - 07
Choose one next observation
Select one small change tied to a repeated reason, name an owner, and set a follow-up week. Keep other definitions as stable as practical.
Record: Change to test, reason addressed, owner, follow-up date, and comparison limits.
What to put in the record
The CSV is empty. Use Unknown or Not applicable when either one is the honest entry.
| Field | What to record | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Week context | Date range, household size, guests, travel, away meals, and unusual events. | Shows when the week was unusual and should not be treated as a typical rate. |
| Food and form | Ordinary item name and state such as raw, cooked, opened, prepared, or inedible part. | Provides enough identity to group events without requiring a nutrition database. |
| Amount and unit | A practical estimate such as grams, cups, pieces, servings, or package fraction. | Supports consistent grouping while making the measurement basis visible. |
| Estimated cost and basis | Amount, currency, and whether it came from a receipt, package fraction, or another stated method. | Makes clear which estimates have support and which costs remain unknown. |
| Discard reason | The immediate observed cause using the household's agreed categories. | Points toward a purchasing, storage, portion, preference, or scheduling response. |
| Avoidable status | Yes, No, or Unsure under the household's written definition. | Keeps uncertainty and inedible parts separate from potentially preventable events. |
| Handling context | Known timing, location, package, schedule, or identity facts relevant to disposal. | Preserves facts without using the protocol to decide safety. |
| Destination | Trash, drain, compost, donation before disposal, or another defined route. | Clarifies what the household included in its log; it is not an environmental impact calculation. |
| Completeness and uncertainty | Daily check status, missed-event note, and fields left unknown. | Keeps missing details visible instead of quietly filling them with estimates. |
| Change and follow-up | One response, the repeated reason it addresses, owner, and follow-up week. | Connects the observation to a modest next step without claiming success in advance. |
How far the record can take you
Stay with what made it into the log. One week can point to a useful next question, but it cannot supply a universal household waste figure.
Can supportA small response tied to that reason, such as quantity, visibility, scheduling, or portion review.
Cannot showThat the reason caused every event or that the proposed response will reduce waste.
Can supportA note that this unusual event had a large effect on the total.
Cannot showA typical weekly or annual spending pattern.
Can supportA qualitative reason count and a plan to simplify measurement next time.
Cannot showA defensible quantity or cost total obtained by filling gaps with guesses.
Can supportSeparate reporting of preparation scraps from potentially avoidable food.
Cannot showThat those parts were preventable or equivalent to edible food waste.
Can supportA reason to repeat with the same definitions and note changes in household context.
Cannot showCausation, annual savings, or environmental benefit from two short household observations.
Observation never overrides a safety response.
- Never retain, taste, donate, or repurpose questionable food merely to reduce the log total or avoid recording a discard.
- The avoidable field describes a planning opportunity; it does not override recalls, allergy controls, package instructions, illness precautions, or public-health guidance.
- Use local rules for composting, donation, animal feeding, and waste disposal. The protocol does not determine whether a destination is permitted or safe.
- Clean measuring tools and surfaces appropriately, and do not measure discarded food in a way that increases contamination or handling risk.
Keep the gaps.
A blank field, a Not found result, or an unresolved safety question belongs in the record. Do not replace it with a guess.