The Isle of Wight Council, with its waste partner Thalia Waste Management, is supporting the UK’s biggest annual food waste reduction campaign. Food Waste Action Week 2024 runs until Sunday (24th March) with Islanders being encouraged to ‘Choose What You’ll Use’ by buying fruit and vegetables loose instead of packaged. According to WRAP, currently 60% of the food that is wasted in the UK is wasted by people in their own homes — that’s 4.7 million tonnes of food being thrown away every year that could have been eaten. Research from Love Food Hate Waste has shown that we could reduce food waste by 60,000 tonnes just by buying loose fruit and veg. Councillor Lora Peacey-Wilcox, the Cabinet lead for waste, says:
“By choosing loose fruit and veg in the supermarket or supporting our local greengrocers, we can make a big impact on our environment. “By choosing exactly what you will need, you’ll be saving food and plastic from going to waste. According to David Attenborough, of all food produced (using precious forests and land) 40 per cent is then just thrown away to landfill. Choosing only what you need is a simple way to making a difference”.
Natasha Dix, service director for environment and waste, adds:
“There is a huge environmental impact caused by food going to waste. “Not only the harmful greenhouse gases created by producing food that isn’t used, or even from the food rotting in landfill, it’s also the waste of all the precious resources that it takes to bring that food to your plate — the land, water, energy and hard work. “And remember, as a last resort, we collect your food waste every week. Your food waste is used to create electricity and compost through a process called anaerobic digestion.”
You can order an indoor and outside food caddy online or by calling 01983 823777.
Simple ways to help you to save money on your food shop:
- Steer clear of pre-prepared fruit and veg. It’s easier but you’ll pay a premium for it and it usually comes covered in plastic wrap.
- Food will last much longer when it’s stored correctly. This makes it easier to eat everything before it goes off. Store most fresh produce in the fridge, it’ll last longer.
- Save money on food by making the most of what you buy. Aim to eat every edible morsel — for example, keeping the skins on carrots and potatoes (they’re also full of nutrients).
To find out more about Food Waste Action Week and try out some tasty recipes using your leftovers, visit Love Food Hate Waste’s website.
Buying half a lettuce is a bit problematic. I vote for foodsharing with others in a similar position. Chop it in half and offer it to a neighbour, or start a community group to bulk buy and share.
The picture at the top of the page is not appropriate because it shows actual waste, such as potato peel, chicken bones, and egg shells. The point of this campaign is to stop people from buying food that they do not eat before it goes bad. People often buy good food that they do not eat and then throw away. The average family is “supposed” to wastes £1000 worth of food each year, which sounds unlikely. Also, the “David Attenborough” quote is a bogus statistic. Primary sources quote a figure of 13% of purchased food being wasted. The 40% figure is the total produced food that is lost due to losses on farms, losses during transportation, losses during packaging, and losses at retailers. The whole food supply chain wastes 40%.
Yes you’re right, it does, which is also wrong. The picture of waste though is appropriate because it highlights that some waste can in fact be used, eg., potato peelings and chicken bones for soup which affects not only peoples pockets but the environment too.
If you use chicken bones to make soup, you will still have waste chicken bones afterwards. Maybe you eat bones but you are in a minority there.
Whatever next big brother lol
I dont need my useless council telling me what groceries too buy thanku.i will buy whatevever is most affordable ta! Cant win …dont recycle properly..now dont throw too much away…yawn
I recycle all my food waste, the birds and foxes love it, they eat every single
piece.
Yes I put out the scraps for wildlife too.
For they are having a hard time now we all have wheelie-bins which of course they cannot get into even if starving.
Although such keeps rats and mice from growing in numbers, it is those vermin which helps to feed other wildlife like Foxes and Owls and birds of prey.
So the loss of easy food for wildlife must be huge since air tight plastic bins are preventing any access to food.
What a load of b@ll@cks, are IW Council going to buy our
Food for us.
Cabinet Lead for Waste, sounds like a load of rubbish to me.