Just coming off Earth Day, my sensitivities are heightened for about, a week. I admit it, I’m not a big green guy.

I guess I just trust the manufacturer more than mankind’s measly methods to save Mother Earth. But that doesn’t mean I’m intentionally careless. I let my wife recycle, I make my daughter Kate use both sides of the coloring book pages and I keep track of food waste.  Stop -- it’s not what you think.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says the average American trashes about 36 pounds of food a month, and if that seems like a lot, you are right. In an effort to bring that number way down, the USDA launched an app earlier this month called Foodkeeper, which provides valuable storage advice about more than 400 food and beverage items.

It’s a comprehensive list with info on various types of baby food, dairy products and eggs, meat, poultry, produce, seafood and more. They’re also reminding consumers that food date stamps such as "use by" and "sell by" dates are not federally regulated and don't always indicate a food's freshness.

The USDA says many products may have a sell-by date of say April 1 but they could be good in your pantry for another 12 or 18 months. By throwing those out you're contributing to food waste. My solution? Cowboy up and clean those plates!

William Thomas Cain/Getty Images
William Thomas Cain/Getty Images
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The Foodkeeper app is available for Apple and Android devices now. (Fox)

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