1 in 5 bags of food shopping ends up in bin
You’ve gone to the supermarket, spent a long time doing your shopping and finally made it home with your mountain of shopping bags! Despite our best intentions to eat all we buy, the equivalent of 1 out of every 5 bags of shopping we buy ends up in the bin and that’s just one of the indigestible facts about food waste in the UK.
- The average UK household is throwing away the equivalent of six meals every week!
- People living on their own could save £290 a year by reducing food thrown away and families up to £700 for people who live on their own
- An area almost the size of Wales would be needed to grow all of the food we throw away from our homes
Food waste infographic from RangemasterUK
This infographic from Rangemaster includes some really fascinating statistics about food wastage and why it gets thrown away.
So how can you throw away less!
We all get caught out sometimes when food in our fridge or cupboard is on the brink of going off and needs something doing to it quickly. If you are looking for ways to use up some of the spoilsports in your cupboard, here are a few ideas to rescue some of the regulars …
- Potatoes – if your spuds have started growing extra bits or are turning a bit green then peel, cook, mash and freeze! They can then be used as a base for many different meals!
- Leafy veg and salads – Refresh your greens by putting them into a bowl of cold water with added ice cubes for about 30 minutes.
- Ripe bananas – slice and freeze them for later. They can be then used for smoothies or blended with milk for cereal to give a fruity taste.
- Rice or pasta – freeze what you don’t use in portions but make sure it is piping hot throughout when reheated.
- Root vegetables and beans – these can be dropped in boiling water (blanched) for a few minutes, cooled quickly under running water and then frozen for use at a later date.
For more information about using up foods, check out the Love Food Hate Waste website or savvy storage in our reduce food waste section.
There’s lots of ways to reduce the amount of food that goes into the rubbish bin, there will be something quick and easy you can do too! If you have any tips, hints or ideas about food waste, feel free to share them with us on twitter @WestLondonWaste or on our Facebook page.
