Worcestershire residents urged to think about their food waste during Food Waste Action Week

Today marks the start of Food Waste Action Week (6 to 12 March). The theme this year is ‘Win. Don’t Bin’ which demonstrates how valuable food is in our lives, how it unites people and how using up everything we buy saves money, time and the planet.

Recent analysis of the contents of an average black wheelie bin in Worcestershire shows that 35% of the waste put in it by residents was food. From this, over 40% was still in its packaging, which highlights that food waste is an issue that we can all do something about. It also showed that almost 70% (69%) of the food waste was avoidable.

Councillor Richard Morris, Worcestershire County Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment said: “With the cost of food increasing all the time and some people struggling to afford even basic groceries, it is shocking to see so much food being thrown away, particularly items such as bread that has not been touched.

“The theme of this year’s Food Waste Action Week is ‘Win. Don’t Bin’ and we are urging our residents to think about what food they are throwing away. 

“Not only will they save money and food, but they will also help us reduce the amount of rubbish it sends for disposal.”

Food Waste Action Week, run by WRAP (Waste Resources Action Programme) shows that just by storing food correctly and using up items from the fridge and cupboard, a second (or even third) meal can be made rather than those items ending up in the bin.

People can find out what sort of food waster they are as well by entering a quiz on the Love Food Waste website as well as get tips for reducing food waste and recipes for those leftover items. 

Further tips for reducing food waste include:

• use your freezer as your friend – freezing food, even right up to the Use By date will keep it in good condition and stop you wasting it
• store bagged salads in a Tupperware (other containers available) container with kitchen roll to help prolong the life span of it and stop it going slimy
• keep a good stock of spices and store cupboard ingredients such as pasta, beans, pulses and chopped tomatoes so you can whip up a mid-week meal using the meat leftover from your Sunday roast
• cook a bit extra when making a chilli, spag bol or rice dish and you can put it in a tub in the fridge to take to work as your lunch the next day
• chips taste better second time around – put leftover chip shop chips in the fridge and cook for about 20 minutes in an air fryer or the oven at 200°C
• try and plan meals and purchase accordingly

With the average family throwing away over £700 worth of perfectly edible food each year, it is hoped that just by giving more thought to the food they are buying and cooking, it will go a long way to help families save money as well as food.

Worcestershire County Council aims to encourage residents to reduce, reuse, repair, recycle and compost more. By doing this we will use less raw materials and save energy whilst protecting natural resources and reducing carbon emissions. All of this will help achieve the Council’s ambition of being a Net Zero Council by 2050.