Monday, 01 July 2013 00:00

Families Waste £50 of Food Every Month

Wallisdown residents are being encouraged to think about how much food they throw out as national figures show the average family wastes £50 of food a month.

In Bournemouth a massive 38 per cent of all rubbish thrown in the Little Bin (refuse) is food and the Council’s Recycling Team is encouraging residents to think more about food waste to help reduce the amount and save money too. The Council is supporting the ‘Love Food Hate Waste’ campaign urging people to think about how they use shop, store and cook food items they buy.

Top Five Food Waste Tips

  • Learn to use your freezer better
  • Use an online portion calculator for items such as potatoes, rice pasta – often too much is cooked and thrown away.
  • Plan a weekly menu and use it to draw up a shopping list
  • Learn how to maximise your leftovers through recipe ideas found at www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/recipes
  • Stock up your store cupboard on long life essentials and herbs and spices to jazz up everyday food items

Georgina Lamb, Waste and Resource Projects Manager, said: “The main reasons why we throw away good food are that we cook or prepare too much or we don't use it in time. Simple things like menu planning, drawing up a shopping list, checking use-by dates, portion sizes, making good use of your freezer and learning more about what to do with your leftovers, can make a huge difference in reducing food waste.”

Councillor Michael Filer, portfolio holder for Transport, Cleansing & Waste, said: “The figures for food waste are astounding and something we can and should all be thinking about. Not only does it help to reduce the amount of waste thrown away in the rubbish bin, it can have serious benefits for the household budget. In 2014 we will be launching a food waste collection service but now is the opportunity for everyone to think about how much they are really throwing out in an age where every penny counts.”

Last modified on Thursday, 19 September 2013 09:28
Tom F

Tom is the editor of www.wallisdown.info - contact him with your news for this site.