Throwing away less food saves you money as well as help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Every year in the UK, around 7 million tonnes of food is thrown away by households and most of it could have been eaten. Food waste rots and releases methane, which is a damaging greenhouse gas. It is also a huge waste of the energy, water and packaging used in its production, transportation and storage.

Home composting is a great way to stop food waste filling landfill. There are also companies like us that collect household waste for recycling.

Food waste can be recycled in many ways, including:

In-vessel composting – this involves mixing food waste with garden waste – shredding it and then composting it in an enclosed system for around 2-4 weeks (temperatures of up to 70°C speed up the process and ensure any harmful microbes are killed off). The material is then left outside to mature for a further 1-3 months with regular turning and checks to ensure quality before going on to be used as soil conditioner.
Anaerobic Digestion – this uses microorganisms to break down food waste, animal manure, slurries and energy crops in the absence of oxygen, inside an enclosed system. As it breaks down it gives off methane, which is collected and converted into biogas and used to generate electricity, heat or transport fuels. It also creates a nutrient-rich digestant that can be used as a fertiliser for agriculture and in land regeneration.

Throwing away food is a waste of resources, like cheese – feeding and milking the cows, cooling and transporting the milk, processing it in to cheese, packing it, getting it to the shops, keeping it at the right temperature all the time. When it gets thrown away it will end up in a landfill site, rather than harmlessly decomposing it.

There are some food waste that cannot be recycled. Egg shells, banana skins and tea bags are never going to be on the menu. It’s best to make the most of your food and drink and try to avoid wasting food.