Did you know that the average Essex household wastes £60 every month by throwing away food that could have been eaten?
Food makes up roughly a quarter of what we throw away in our rubbish bins. Not only is this a waste of money, but it’s also damaging the environment. If disposed of in the general rubbish, food releases methane - a greenhouse gas that is 25 times more harmful than carbon dioxide.
Avoiding food waste would benefit the environment as much as taking a quarter of cars off the road!
To encourage Essex residents to make the most of their food, we’ve put together the handy guide below. By following some simple steps, we can save food, money and protect the environment.
Try your hand at some the challenges below and you’ll see your food waste and shopping bill decrease.
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For a little fun, and some inspiration on how to reduce food waste, watch “What a Waste”. It shows the story of an apple that, instead of being eaten, was thrown away.
Our “Apple-y ever after" animation has a different ending to the story…
During January and February, we’re teaming up with Essex influencer Katie Cooks. On her Instagram channel, Katie will show simple hacks we can all use to reduce waste while cooking, storing and reusing food every day.
During our Love Essex, Love Food campaign in 2023, we worked in partnership with councils across Essex to inspire residents to reduce their food waste.
At "Apple day" in Cressing Temple Barns, we teamed up with Zero waste chef Tristan Welch for an inspiring cooking demonstration. Visitors could see how easy it is to replace ingredients in a recipe with what you already have at home, get creative and enjoy the whole of your food.
Have a go at the recipes yourself: