They can give you practical, quick examples and help you avoid waste when you are at the supermarket and in a hurry to do your shopping. When you haven't got much time, you run the risk of throwing products you don't need into your trolley, forgetting to check the expiry date of yoghurt and milk, or even buying things you don't really need because you haven't had time to check your pantry and make a shopping list. However, if you have downloaded one of these apps, you can remedy this even at the last minute, when you are still standing in front of the shelves, or just before you leave home or the office, after you have checked what is left in the fridge. Alternatively, avoid the supermarket altogether and head for the local shops that offer discounted short-expiry products left over at the end of the day.
Svuotafrigo This app helps you reuse the ingredients you have at home, turning them into tasty recipes (there are over 25,000 and counting) that you would never have thought of. It takes into account the seasons and you can also search using filters such as vegan, vegetarian, celiac and other allergies or intolerances such as nickel (iOS and Android). In the comments section, many users refer to it as the life-saving app!
LastMinuteSottoCasa Better known as LMSC and created by the start-up Up Day, is one of the made-in-Italy alter egos of Too Good To Go because it allows you to pick up products left over at the end of the day from retailers near you, discounted by up to 50%. It is a win-win situation because there are three winners: the customer, the supermarket, which reduces the amount of unsold products, and the planet. Among the latest innovations, the store can also send offers to customers with a digital flyer (iOS and Android).
Squiseat The concept is always to collect from shopkeepers what is left over and would otherwise go to waste. But each app has its own peculiarity: Squiseat focuses on buying what you need, choosing the portions and the type of product, to avoid the risk of going overboard and taking home what you do not need. For this reason, Squiseat's search has filters that allow you to find the food you want or need most, check who has it left, and then proceed with the purchase. What's more, some places even offer pick-up times: in short, you don't have to go and pick up the left overs at the end of the day (iOS and Android).
UBO stands for Una Buona Occasione in Italian, meaning A Good Opportunity, the opportunity that you should take advantage of to start your fight against waste. UBO is a great way to start because its mantra is: "prevention is as necessary as giving". So instead of focusing on where the surplus goes, it works at the grassroots level, answering all your questions on how to avoid waste. Its database contains over 500 types of food with all the tips on where, when and how to store them (vacuum-sealed, cooked or raw, fresh or frozen), as well as recommended portion sizes and their water footprint. All this advice comes from the experts of the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Piedmont, Liguria and Valle d'Aosta. The Deadline Memo section is also very useful, allowing you to take a photo of a date and set an alert so that UBO reminds you when to consume the food (iOS and Android).
Sprecometro/wastemeter This app is one of the latest additions. Developed for the Zero Waste Campaign under the scientific guidance of agricultural economist Andrea Segrè, it helps you measure your waste and live sustainably. Once you download the Wastemeter, you will be asked to take a test to be ranked according to your consumption habits and you can update your waste diary at any time to evaluate your progress in terms of savings and ecological footprint. You can also compete with groups of friends or between family members to encourage constructive competition (iOS and Android).
