Date: 07 November 2007 09:13

SHOCKING STATISTICS GIVE FOOD FOR THOUGHT ON RECYCLING

Shocking figures show that nearly a quarter of what goes in Cambridgeshire 
residents 'bins is food that hasn't been eaten or past its sell by date.

Recycling chiefs are suggesting residents can save themselves pounds if they 
shop smarter and save the environment if they recycle their food 
waste -rather than letting it go to landfill.

The latest waste analysis for the County shows Cambridgeshire residents 
throws away 156kg of food waste each year which equates to around 23 per 
cent of their bins. Whilst some of this is unavoidable, such as bones, a 
large proportion is compostable, such as tea bags and peelings, and more 
still is food that is simply out of its date, or not eaten - in other words, 
wasted.

Cambridgeshire County Council backs the Waste and Resources Action Programme 
(WRAP) new Love Food Hate Waste campaign to help reduce the amount of good 
food that is being thrown away by households across the county.

Residents in the UK throw away 6.7 million tonnes of food each year - that's 
like buying three bags of food from the supermarket and throwing one away. 
Most of this food waste ends up in landfill sites, which contributes to 
climate change because it emits methane, a very powerful greenhouse gas. Not 
only are the environmental implications huge, but the financial ones are 
too - people buy, and then waste, around £8 billion on food that could have 
been eaten.

Mark Shelton, Cambridgeshire County Council's Waste Policy Manager, said: 
"Food waste that goes to landfill generates methane. Not only is this a 
potent greenhouse gas, but it causes long term problems in the management of 
landfill sites, which are costly to the council and to council tax payers. 
Some 23% of our bins is food waste and if even a small amount of this could 
be avoided, more money would be available to spend on other vital council 
services like teachers and care workers.

"Many people are amazed at these figures - just think about how much time, 
effort and money you could save if you thought about the amount of food you 
buy, need, eat and throw away. Why not keep a " food waste diary "for a week 
or two, recording everything you buy and throw away or compost. This should 
then help when you shop for food, so that you can minimise what you waste. 
It is estimated that between £250-400 worth of food is thrown away by each 
household in the UK every year. Plus, you then have to pay to have the waste 
food taken away!"

Have you got ideas or recipes on making the most of food? Log on to 
www.lovefoodhatewaste.com and share them with us.

What about unavoidable food waste?
* Peelings, cores, stalks, tea bags, coffee grounds etc. can be home 
composted; and the compost you produce will do wonders for your garden!
* Bones, egg shells and vegetable waste can be put in your kerbside kitchen 
and garden waste collection run by your council which will be sent to a 
commercial composter.

Top Tips to help reduce food waste
* When cooking for a family take a few minutes to measure food out perhaps 
into a favourite cup - so you get the right portion per person.
* Meals made from leftovers can be delicious and timesaving- whether its 
food from the night before or food left in the fridge or cupboard. Do your 
own 'Ready Steady Cook'  and see what meals you can make.
* Check what's in your cupboard or freezer - not forgetting the back of your 
fridge - before you shop for more.
* Put food with the most recent 'use by ' date at the front of your fridge 
or cupboard so that it is used first.
* Make good use of the fridge and freezer to keep food better - for example, 
most ripe fruit can be kept in the fridge to make it last longer.
* Make a shopping list to save time and money, and shop with specific meals 
in mind.
* Buy fruit and vegetables loose, so you can choose exactly how much you 
need; pre-packed quantities can some times be too much.
* Check your fridge temperature is between 1-5 C to ensure food keeps for 
longer.

John Reynolds