Love Food Hate Waste

Do you know how much food we waste in the UK?

Research done by Wrap (Waste & Resources Action Programme) show that around a third of all the food we buy in the UK ends up being thrown away. Whilst some of this waste isn't edible (e.g. meat bones) there's plenty of good food that could have been eaten - if only we had used it before it went off.

How much money is wasted?

Again, the research shows that the average household spends up to £400 on food per year that wasn't eaten.

That's the size of the problem on your purse.

What about the environment?  Does wasted food impact badly on the environment?

The answer is a definite 'YES'!

In the UK we throw away 6.7 million tonnes of food each year. Much of this ends up in landfill sites. This contributes to climate change in two ways. Firstly, the rotting process of organics releases methane and CO2 into the air. These are understood to be big causes of climate change across the globe. In the UK, landfill sites create around 3% of all the emissions of these gases.  

Secondly, producing, transporting and storing food uses a lot of energy, water and packaging. Each part of the process creates harmful climate change gases, for example lorries transporting goods from farms to supermarkets. It's bad enough that we create these harmful impacts to be able to get food on our tables.

How much worse is it if we then waste the food itself? Well, we'd all say it isn't the best way to do things. So, is there anything practical that we can do at home to enjoy the food we buy whilst doing our bit to cut how much we waste? Thankfully, there is.

Recycle for Hampshire is supporting a great new campaign called "Love Food Hate Waste". You'll see coverage in newspapers and magazines. Want to know what the campaign looks like? Easy - visit the Love Food Hate Waste campaign website to see how a pear and a tomato are the stars of the campaign.

Climate change is one of the biggest issues of the age. Anything that makes climate change worse needs to be tackled.

If you would like practical advice on how you can reduce your food waste read our Love Food Hate Waste -Top tips.

Good food is something to love and relish, and we can do more to cut how much we waste.