@Hover: A tid bit to add to your "Some useful hints on reducing Food Waste" post, which incidentally, was excellent and to the point.
Whenever you cook sea foods with a shell like shrimps, clams, lobsters, etc. keep those shells, cooked or not and freeze them until you have enough to make a broth. Pretty much what you say about vegetable peelings. Actually, mix both shells and peelings for an even better broth. This will give you an awesome base for asian type soups or a clam chowder.
Another note, about freezing this time. Indeed, freezing is the best way to keep food for a longer time. But if you want to make the best of it, vacuum pack the food, either before or after freezing it. Vacuum packaging will easily triple the freezer storage time for most items if it's done properly. And vacuum packaging machines are not too expensive considering what you save in food and the convenience of long time storage. For example, last time I bought a whole beef tenderloin, I cut it in 200g pieces, froze them and once frozen, vacuum packed them. That was over a year ago. And last weekend, I used one to make a steak tartar. As good as fresh.
The reason to freeze first and vacuum pack after freezing is that the blood in the meat won't be extracted when you vacuum pack it. So when you'll thaw the meat it's still in the meat,making for a moister and tender piece of meat.
Same with soup or other liquids. Freeze them first in a small plastic container. I use 3 cups Ziplock ones. Once frozen, vacuum pack them for years of conservation. One time I found one of those I had forgotten. The date on the pack was 4 years earlier.
Another advantage of vacuum packing is to use the plastic rolls instead of pre-cut bags. They come in different widths and can be cut to the needed size, thus reducing their consumption. And don't listen to what the maker says about not reusing the bags. They are in business and make a lot of money selling that plastic. But the bags are perfectly reusable several times. Just wash them properly in a soapy dishwater.
A note on reusing those bags. If when you pack something you notice it is not completely vacuumed, toss the bag and use another one. If you still have air in there you have zero benefits. Also periodically check you packaged food and if you notice it lost its vacuum, repackage it in a new bag.
Also, if you freeze a lot of stuff, weight and date it and keep that information in some sort of inventory so you know what you have stocked. It makes it much easier when you plan for a meal. You don't have to empty the freezer to know if you still have some of the stuff. But don't forget to remove it from the list when you use it. Otherwise, you'll end up thinking you have something when you don't.
Vacuum packaging can also be used on refrigerated and non-refrigerated items as well. Cheese come to mind. And oxidizing metals. That beautiful silver cutlery you have to shine at every use, well, wash it, let it dry thoroughly and pack it. Next time you need it, it will be ready to use.
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