Yellowing leaves of spinach mingle with some slightly sour yogurt and that half of a bagel I burned this morning. This is what my garbage can looks like right now. I am part of the problem, and most likely you are too.

People tend to forget about the food they discard, but all those decomposing carrot shavings and day-old dinner rolls have lasting impacts. Food waste is the third-largest emitter of methane, a powerful green-house gas. One-fourth of the fresh water consumed in the U.S. and 300 million barrels of oil each year are needed to grow the food that ends up in landfills.

Food garbage is often generated out of ignorance. Expiration dates do not pertain to food safety yet, every day, fear causes fresh food to be chucked. To keep the food on the table, here are seven products that are almost always safe to eat past the printed date:

Eggs

Eggs can last for weeks after expiration and, in Europe, eggs are not even refrigerated. When in doubt, perform the float test. Fill a deep dish or glass with room-temperature water and carefully drop in an egg. If it floats, it's spoiled. Alternative: Less-than-fresh eggs will sink in water, but tilt slightly upward. Use them for baking. Eggs that have been thoroughly cooked are less risky.

Bread

Stale bread is still edible; just don't eat any mold—it can be harmful. Alternative: Feed stale bread to chickens or, as the EPA recommends, turn it into croutons or scrumptious French toast.

Bagged Salads and Greens

Even wilty lettuce deserves a second chance. As long as greens aren’t slimy or rotting, revitalize by chilling in ice water or blend them into a smoothie.

Canned Goods

They are meant to last forever in bomb shelters and basements. Alternative: If you are stashing cans that you won't eat, donate them to a food bank. Most food banks will accept expired canned food. Exception: Do not eat from dented or bulging cans. Damage to metal cans can break the seal and let in bacteria and air, forming a deadly botulism cocktail.

Meat and Fish

Pop it into the freezer before the date and it will last for months. Just make sure that you eat it within one day of defrosting. Exception: Deli meats are one of the main carriers of the deadly listeria bacteria—they are one food where it is better to be safe than sorry.

Milk and Yogurt

People are skittish about expired dairy, but milk and yogurt can last up to a week after expiration. Use your nose—it's not hard to detect spoiled milk.

Honey and Olive Oil

While crystalized honey and cloudy olive oil may seem destined for the trash, they are not necessarily spoiled. Heat honey in a glass jar in boiling water to restore its gooey loveliness. Take the olive oil out of the fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature. Both are safe for years after their expiration dates, just be sure to pitch the oil if it has an off flavor or odor.

If this is too radical, there are safer ways to cut down on food waste. The EPA recommends that you buy only what you can eat and set aside a shelf in the refrigerator for foods that are about to expire. Check the shelf life of thousands of foods at StillTasty.com. When food is truly unappetizing, feed the compost pile. It's not picky.

NOTE: Sierra is not responsible for food conservation gone wrong. Please eat at your own discretion.

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