Food waste is a big problem and during Food Waste Action Week (6 – 12 March 2023), here at ActforEaling, we wanted to give you some tips and advice on how to reduce food waste. Discover some simple hacks, tips and guidance to make the most of your food at home. Plus find out why it’s so crucial that we all do our bit to save our food from the bin – and protect our beautiful planet at the same time too.
The Problem
4.5 million tonnes of edible food is thrown away each year by UK households. Shockingly, 25% of this wasted food is due to cooking, preparing or serving too much – this costs us, UK households £3.5 billion each year.
Every little thing you do, everyday, makes a huge difference. By working together, it soon adds up if you times each small action by 66 million people living in the UK. And, you’ll save money on your shopping bill too!
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Try a few of their simple tips as part of your weekly routine and you’ll quickly see how with just a few small actions you can make a real difference both to your pocket and the planet.
We can reduce our food waste by taking up these Good Food Habits:
- Think: Take a few moments to consider what you need before you hit the shops. See what is in the fridge and bring older food to the front. Plan what you will be eating with a flexible meal plan and make a shopping list.
- Shop: Take your shopping list and stick to it.
- Store: Putting your food away in the right place will keep it fresher for longer.
- See: Keep track of what needs eating first.
- Eat: Get more value from your food from eating all the edible parts and reduce what goes in the bin. Don’t peel carrots or potatoes give them a good scrub, plus they are heathier for you with the skins on
What’s food waste all about?
- Environmental impact: Producing food requires significant resources including land, energy and water. Globally, 25–30% of total food produced is lost or wasted, and food waste is estimated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to contribute 8-10% of total man-made greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
- Carbon footprint: If we all stopped wasting bread at home in the UK for a year, it could do the same for green house gases as planting 5,3 million trees.
- Food waste in perspective: Households and businesses is produce around 9.5 million tonnes 70% of which was intended to be consumed by people (30% being the ‘inedible’ parts). Of the food wasted that could have been eaten (6.4 Mt) would make the equivalent of over 15 billion meals – enough to feed the entire UK population 3 meals a day for 11 weeks.
Full information from Wrap Action on Food Waste.
What happens to Ealing’s food waste collection?
Some food waste is unavoidable and Ealing’s collected Food waste is sent by West London Food Waste for recycling to a special anaerobic digestion plant in Mitcham where it is turned into fertilizer for local farms and energy for the national grid. A by-product of the process is biogas which is then used to power homes and businesses, as well as the trucks collecting your food waste. In the near future, we will be one of the first waste authority in the country to use trucks fueled by food waste.
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