Reducing Camden's food waste
With the festive period around the corner, Camden Council is encouraging residents to take steps to reduce food waste. The latest figures reveal that over a quarter of household waste is made up of food.
Resident bins across the borough contain on average 28% food compared with 9% plastic. The foods wasted most often include fresh vegetables, salad, fruit and bakery items such as bread and cakes.
Research shows the average family could save £70 a month by reducing the amount of food they throw away. Tips to reduce food waste include:
- Keep your fridge below 5 degrees. It means milk and other items can last up to three days longer.
- Reuse your leftovers instead of throwing them away. Have a look through Love Food Hate Waste’s leftover recipe ideas for inspiration
- Don’t overcook and freeze any leftovers. Food can be frozen right up to the use by date - take a look at our short film to find out more about freezing food.
Thinking about the food we’re looking forward to eating is one of the best things about Christmas. But we can also take this opportunity to think about the food we are likely to end up just chucking in the bin. Research carried out by the council into what we throw away shows over a quarter of it is actually just food. This may be even greater over the next couple of weeks.
“Food waste is collected weekly in Camden. It’s really easy to do – you just place it out in a specially designed caddy that we will deliver to you on request. Food waste actually ends up helping generate electricity, so there is a positive environmental benefit as well as helping keep your kitchen bin for things that cannot be recycled.
To find out more about reducing food waste and to order a free food waste recycling caddy visit camden.gov.uk/food.
Further information
The government this week published the Resources and Waste Strategy which estimates that the UK wastes 10 million tonnes of food and drink annually, worth around £20 billion.