This year’s Food Waste Action Week is taking place from 6th – 12th March with the theme of ‘Win. Don’t bin” and is led by Love Food Hate Waste, the customer-facing brand of the UK’s sustainability charity, WRAP.
According to WRAP, we throw away 6.6 million tonnes of household food waste a year in the UK. This food waste is responsible for nearly 25 million tonnes of CO2 emissions, equivalent to 5.4% of the UK’s territorial emissions.
The majority, 4.5 million tonnes, is food that could have been eaten and is worth approximately £14 billion, which is equivalent to £60 a month an average family with two children.
Mersey cookery classes serving up skills for Food Waste Action Week
Eight community projects in the Liverpool City Region are helping people to cut food waste, eat healthier and save money after a funding boost.
The projects have been given a share of £110,000 through the Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority Community Fund 2022/23, which supports community reuse, recycling and waste prevention initiatives across the region.
The eight local projects are using the week to highlight how much food could be stopped from going to waste by shopping smarter, meal planning and improving cookery skills and use of ingredients.
The organisations are delivering a variety of initiatives across Merseyside such as cookery classes, compost sessions and grow-your-own workshops to help reduce household food waste. One of the groups to receive funding is Liverpool-based Bay Tree Cookery Academy CIC.
Our latest project is targeting groups who benefit from learning skills that help reduce food waste, such as those living on fixed incomes and low incomes, people with disabilities, mental health challenges, unemployed people and veterans.
Michelle O’Dwyer of Bay Tree, said: “Bay Tree Cookery Academy CIC has been running projects that work with vulnerable groups to teach food preparation, cooking and budgeting and food handling and storage skills over several years.
“Our latest project is targeting groups who benefit from learning skills that help reduce food waste, such as those living on fixed incomes and low incomes, people with disabilities, mental health challenges, unemployed people and veterans.
“The unique aspect of this project is that we’re teaching skills to minimise food waste rather than just cookery skills. We’re focussed on shopping on a budget, food handing and hygiene, using leftovers, and evaluating portion sizes. It’s a serious matter, but we’re making sure everyone is having fun while they learn!”
The eight projects are:
- Bay Tree Cookery Academy CIC – Cook And Save (see pictures above).
- British Dietetic Association – Waste Warriors.
- Centre 63 – Remake Yourself Hub.
- Compost Works – Share Food And Compost The Rest.
- Farm Urban – Future Food Heroes 2.0.
- Knowsley Foodbank – Chloe Cooks.
- Porchfield Community Association
- Wargrave House College – Not Too Shabby
Councillor Tony Concepcion, Chairperson of Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority said: “We are delighted to support all of these projects. The facts show that on average we throw away over one hundred thousand tonnes of avoidable food every year on Merseyside – almost a third of the average general household waste bin. That includes millions of loaves of bread, whole chickens, litres of milk.
“Food waste is a big issue with significant environmental effects. Projects like these can get people to recognise that the food they buy exists within a circular economy – from farm to fork – while having a real impact in reducing household food waste and saving households money on grocery bills.”
The organisations have until the end of March 2023 to deliver their projects.
Utlilising food waste can help region meet revised net zero targets
Food waste streams should be utilised to reduce their impact on the environment, in order to help the region meet its net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, that’s according to Chris Fillis (pictured), Operations Director at Northern Ireland’s waste and resource management company, RiverRidge.
The call comes following the publication of the Climate Change Committee (CCC) advice report on ‘The Path to a Net Zero Northern Ireland’ last week, which highlighted that the current pathway falls short of the ambitious target of reaching net zero by 2050.
With the launch of this year’s Food Waste Action Week, running from 6 to 12 March, RiverRidge is highlighting the high value that is contained within food waste when diverted from landfill and the subsequent reduction of methane – the gas that is emitted when food waste is breaking down after being sent to landfill.
Utilising the food waste streams combined with decarbonising transport vehicles is the first step in the right direction as we try to counteract the environmental impacts on climate change.
RiverRidge has recently developed a process to extract the organic waste from the waste streams that it collects and convert it into green energy, which will subsequently be used to fuel and decarbonise 75% of the company’s fleet by 2030.
This week also celebrates Decarbonising Transport Week, which aims to highlight the importance of meeting net zero targets and how decarbonising transport is key to achieving this.
Last year the company took delivery of its first renewable biogas lorry, which is fuelled entirely by the food waste that it collects, and the first of three renewable biogas articulated lorries that have been purchased.
Chris Fillis, Operations Director at RiverRidge commented; “It’s disappointing to hear that Northern Ireland is falling short of the 2050 target, but businesses and consumers throughout the region need to take action if it is to meet these targets.
“Utilising the food waste streams combined with decarbonising transport vehicles is the first step in the right direction as we try to counteract the environmental impacts on climate change.”
Greater Manchester Combined Authority supports Food Waste Action Week
Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) will be supporting Food Waste Action Week with engagement activities for residents and across social media, print and digital advertising, as well as the Recycle for Greater Manchester (R4GM) website.
It will demonstrate how valuable food is in our lives and how using up everything we buy saves money and the planet.
The week aims to increase residents’ confidence in ‘using up leftovers’ by promoting a range of skills that can be easily adopted but potentially have the greatest impact on reducing food waste in the home.
Wasting food also wastes money. Throwing away costs the average family more than £700 a year
The GMCA will be sharing tips and guides on how to store food properly and how to make the most of leftovers by linking the week to the ongoing campaign Buy Keep Eat Repeat to tackle food waste.
GMCA will also be working with local authorities across the city-region to raise awareness of the week with residents and encourage them to get involved.
Cllr Martyn Cox, GMCA lead for the Green City Region and Waste and Recycling, said: “We are proud to be supporting the third national Food Waste Action Week with the local authorities across the city-region.
“Wasting food also wastes money. Throwing away costs the average family more than £700 a year. That’s why our food waste campaign Buy Keep Eat Repeat has been helping residents to reduce food waste and save money by suggesting small changes to the way we shop, and how we store and prepare food.”
