We throw away £12.5 billion of food a year in the UK.
Householders are throwing out on average £540 a year. This increases to £700 a year for families with children – or £60 every month!
Research suggests 40% of food thrown away could have been eaten is fresh fruit & vegetables. Meat, fish, bread and other bakery products, dairy produce, rice and pasta are all in the 'top 5' most wasted foods.
Most food we throw away ends up in landfill sites where, rather than harmlessly decomposing as many people think it rots and actually releases methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.
If we stopped wasting food, it would have the same impact on carbon emissions as taking 1 in 4 cars off UK roads.
What can I do?
The Love Food Hate Waste (link opens in new window) campaign shows that by doing some easy practical everyday things in the home we can all waste less and ultimately benefit our purses and the environment as well.
The Love Food Hate Waste (link opens in new window) website has plenty of handy tips, great advice and loads of tasty recipes that will turn your leftovers into something delicious.
Alternatively visit OLIO (link opens in new window). OLIO connects neighbours with each other and with local businesses so surplus food can be shared, not thrown away.
Composting
Some food waste is inevitable. Eggshells, banana skins and tea bags are never going to be on the menu. Home composting (link opens in new window) is a great way to stop this sort of waste ending up in landfill, and our gardens will really thank us for it.