Food waste makes up a large proportion (over 30%) of the waste people put in their black bins. But a lot of it can be prevented and the rest can be composted, reducing its environmental impact.
Wasting food feeds climate change. When we throw away food we also waste the valuable resources that went into making it, including water, land and energy which contributes to greenhouse gases. We throw away about 710,000 tonnes of potatoes every year. If we could stop that, it would prevent about 330,000 tonnes of CO2 from getting into the atmosphere.
There are lots of easy ways to stop wasting food:
- visit Love Food Hate Waste for tips and advice or follow them on social media
- get your fridge and meals organised with the Remy app which helps you use things up in time and suggests recipes
- share extra food, or collect from others, using the Olio sharing app
- plan your meals – check your cupboards and fridge and make a list before you shop
- freeze food before it’s past its best
- turn your fridge temperature down to below 5°C to keep foods like milk fresher for longer
- get creative in the kitchen to use up food that you would otherwise waste. Banana bread and bread pudding are two tasty ways to use up leftovers, but there are many more
- buy heavily discounted ‘rescued’ meals from local businesses before they go to waste with the Too Good To Go
- find out more about projects working to prevent food waste in Cambridge, and how you can get involved from Cambridge Sustainable Food