Over ten million tonnes of food are wasted every year in the UK and a lot goes to landfill or is incinerated with general waste.
Not wasting food would save people a lot of money but we still throw away tonnes every day when there are millions of people in the world who don’t have enough to eat; unsustainable food production and waste also contribute to climate change.
As a result, the Government is introducing changes around the collection and processing of food waste. All councils in England will have to provide weekly, separate household food waste collections by March 2026.
Separate collections of food waste will prevent contamination of other waste, some of which could then be recycled. Food waste will be sent to anaerobic digestion facilities which will in turn provide sustainable energy, cutting down the more than 18 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions associated with this waste, including methane, a greenhouse gas that has 27-30 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide.
The government believes that if people are more aware of how much food they are wasting, they will want to do something about it, so the scheme will hopefully reduce overall waste. There are many reasons people waste food, including simply forgetting they had bought it, buying / cooking too much, sticking to best before dates rigidly, not planning meals and writing shopping lists.
The most common wasted foods in the UK are bread, bagged salad, fresh fruit and vegetables, cooked leftovers, milk, eggs, cheese, meat and fish. Fizzy pop too!
There are lots of ways to reduce our food waste. Here are some ideas:
- Only buy what you need. Don’t be drawn in by offers of buy one get one free, etc., especially of fresh foods, unless you are sure you are going to be able to eat it.
- Buy loose fruit and veg where possible – that way you only get what you need. Eggs as well, if possible.
- If buying meat / fish ask for your own container to be filled. Again, you can get the exact amount you need.
- Plan your meals, write a shopping list and stick to it. Before going shopping, check your fridge, freezer and cupboards to make sure you haven’t already got some of the things you need.
- Understand food labelling - ‘use by’ means it needs to be used by that day (usually dairy and meat products); ‘best before’ is usually safe to eat after the date. Let’s face it though, we can all tell if milk is off, fruit going bad or bread mouldy! Dates are not really necessary for a lot of things.
- Check the contents of your fridge, freezer and cupboards regularly to check dates / things that need eating up.
- If you have leftovers, save them by freezing or using them up in the next couple of days. Some celebrity chefs, such as Jamie Oliver and Nadia Hussain, have started sharing recipes for leftovers if you need inspiration.
- Slightly sad vegetables can be made into soups, sauces and stews.
- Freeze milk and cheese if you don’t think you can use them in time.
- If you buy packs of meat, sausages, etc., split them up into smaller portions and freeze, so you are less likely to cook too much and waste food.
- Make breadcrumbs from stale bread or use it for toast.
- Veg peelings can be composted if you have the facility. You can also use some twice by making stock with them. Use the leaves of cauliflowers and broccoli like cabbage, instead of throwing them away.
- If you can – grow your own.
- Use food apps such as Olio to share unwanted food with others in your community.
Photo credit: "Food waste" poster, Newtownards (January 2017) by Albert Bridge, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons