Food waste

Did you know that the average Essex household wastes £83 every month by throwing away food that could have been eaten?

Not only is this a waste of money for Essex residents, but it’s also damaging to the environment.

If disposed of in the general rubbish and not in the food recycling, food releases methane - a greenhouse gas that is 25 times more harmful than carbon dioxide.

If you would like to save money, improve your carbon footprint and reduce the amount of food you throw away, check out some of our top tips below.

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Apple, cheddar and walnut sausage rolls on a plate.

Waste less and save more

Read our helpful guides to reduce your food waste

Love Essex, Love Food

In 2023 the Love Essex team launched the Love Essex, Love Food campaign to encourage residents across the county to reduce their food waste.

Find out more about the campaign

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a variety of vegetables on a chopping board, in a kitchen

TV & YouTube campaign

Watch our ‘What a Waste’ animation

 'What a Waste' shows the story of an apple that instead of being eaten, was thrown away...

Inspiring zero waste apple recipes

Get creative and use up store cupboard items with these recipes created for Love Essex by zero waste chef, Tristan Welch

TV & YouTube campaign

Watch our ‘Apple-y ever after’ animation

What if a bruised apple is not thrown in the bin, but becomes something else?

What you can do with unavoidable food waste

Make sure you add unavoidable food waste to your food recycling caddy!

Find out about food recycling

You can also use a home composting bin for some types of food waste.

Find out about home composting

Did you know?

There are loads of brilliant apps available that can help tackle food waste by tracking what food you have, suggesting recipes, and helping you to give or get surplus food.

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a variety of vegetables on a chopping board, in a kitchen