
Food Waste
Action Week

Welcome to our
special edition Residents' eNewsletter, celebrating Food Waste
Action Week (17 to 23 March)! We’re supporting Love Food Hate Waste
by sharing our top food waste prevention tips as part of our
#FightAgainstFoodWaste campaign.
Around a third of the average rubbish bin in West
Sussex is food waste—most of which is avoidable. In fact, 70% of
this could have been eaten at some point prior to being thrown
away; of that, 41% is just not used in time and 25% is binned
because too much has been cooked.
Saving food from going to waste is good for the
environment, as when you throw food away, you’re not just wasting
the product but also the energy, water and other resources that
have gone into producing and transporting it. Reducing your food
waste can also save you money; waste food is the equivalent of £20
per month per person, or £80 for a family of four.
Read on for practical tips to help you reduce food
waste and save money!

Buy loose
fruit and vegetables
Research shows that if all apples, bananas and
potatoes were sold loose, 8.2 million shopping baskets' worth of
food waste could be prevented every year. That’s simply because
when fruit and vegetables are sold loose, people can buy only what
they need and will use.
So next time you're at the shops, skip the
pre-packaged bags of potatoes or bananas and choose loose produce
instead. Bonus points if you bring a reusable bag to put them in!
We know that buying loose fruit and veg is a great way
to prevent overbuying and reduce food waste, but Love Food Hate
Waste wants to hear what you think! To help them understand public
opinion on this issue, they’re running a quick poll during Food
Waste Action Week. Click on the button below to take part between
17 and 23 March.
Be a smart
shopper
Planning a menu for the week and making a list is
essential and will help you buy only what you need and save you
money. When writing your shopping list, make sure you check what
you have at home and how much extra of an ingredient you will need.
Shops also frequently promote BOGOF (Buy One Get One
Free) deals and 'loss leaders'. This is where a number of products
will be considerably marked down in price, generally close to the
store entrance, to attract your immediate attention. Before adding
those extra items to your basket, ask yourself:
- Are these items actually on your list?
- Will you definitely
use them?
- Do you need to
change your plans or list to accommodate them?
Try to only go to the shops once a week as this helps
to avoid buying extra food you don’t need and reduces the
temptation from other offers. Also, avoid going shopping when
you’re hungry and in a rush as it's difficult to shop wisely in
those conditions.
Love your
leftovers
Got leftovers from dinner? Save them for lunch the
next day instead of throwing them away. Not enough for a full meal?
Combine small portions with other ingredients to create something
new. They can usually be frozen to make a quick and easy meal as
well.
Try to clean out your fridge monthly to make use of
any leftovers you have lying around. If you’re struggling for
inspiration or recipes that make the most of your leftovers, visit
the Love Food Hate Waste website or BBC Good Food for fun, tasty
leftover recipes that help you make the most of what you have.
If you are noticing that you always have leftover
bread, try freezing your loaf to keep it fresh. You can defrost it
slice by slice to ensure you never need to throw away any bread
again. Most toasters even have a defrost setting so you can defrost
your bread and toast it at the same time.
Freeze with
ease
One of our favourite tips for keeping food fresher for
longer is to make sure you are storing it correctly. When you buy
food at the supermarket, check the packaging to see how it should
be stored for maximum freshness.
Did you know for your fridge to work effectively it
should be at 5 degrees Celsius or below? From time to time, you
should check your fridge’s built-in thermometer against a
freestanding one to ensure accuracy. As with your fridge, your
freezer needs to be at the right temperature to work effectively.
Your freezer should be set at -18 degrees Celsius or below.
Want to make the most of your freezer? See our top 10
tips for freezing food online.
Get
composting!
Composting is a fantastic way to make use of your
food waste, from coffee grounds to vegetable peelings. You can
also add in garden waste like lawn clippings, annual weeds, and
even paper and cardboard.
Not only does composting reduce waste, but it can
also save you money by reducing the need for garden products like
soil improvements, fertilisers and mulches. Composting is also
great for the environment as it encourages garden biodiversity,
in the form of worms, slugs and woodlice. This then provides food
for valuable wildlife like birds and hedgehogs.
If you're interested in home composting, visit our waste prevention page for
information on how to get started and details on how to get a
subsidised compost bin.
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Food waste
prevention events
To mark Food Waste Action Week, West Sussex Recycles
will be attending various food waste prevention events, including a
stand at all of the WSCC funded UKHarvest Community Food Hubs.
These hubs are designed to educate residents on how to prevent food
waste and reduce surplus food from suppliers that would have
otherwise gone to waste. All residents are welcome to visit the
child-friendly community food hubs and fill up a bag with delicious,
rescued food. You don’t need a referral, just pop along and bring a
reusable bag to fill with fresh fruit and vegetables.
Drop by for waste prevention tips, giveaways and
a chance to win a compost bin!
- Monday 17 March 10am–4pm, Horsham
Library, Lower Tanbridge Way, Horsham, RH12 1PJ
- Tuesday 18 March 10am–11am, Oving
Community Food Hub, Oving Jubilee Hall, High Street, Oving,
PO20 2DG
- Wednesday 19 March 9:30–11:00am,
Broadfield Community Food Hub, Broadfield Community Centre,
Crawley, RH11 9BA
- Thursday 20 March 9:30–11:00am,
Worthing Community Food Hub, Sidney Walter Centre, Worthing,
BN11 1DS
- Friday 21 March 10am–4pm, Crawley
Library, Southgate Ave, Crawley, RH10 6HG
- Saturday 22 March 10am–4pm, Worthing
Library, Richmond Rd, Worthing, BN11 1HD
- Wednesday 26 March 9:30–11:00am,
Storrington Community Food Hub, Chanctonbury Leisure Centre,
Storrington, RH20 4PG
- Wednesday 2 April 9:30–11:00am,
Bognor Community Food Hub, Bognor Youth and Community Centre,
PO21 5JZ
- Thursday 3 April 9:30–11:00am,
Petworth Community Food Hub, Sylvia Beaufoy Centre, Petworth,
GU28 0ET
- Friday 4 April 9:30–11:00am,
Haywards Heath Community Food Hub, Ascension Church, Haywards
Heath, RH16 4JS
- Wednesday 9 April 9:30–11:00am,
Southwick Community Food Hub, Southwick, BN42 4TE
Alongside the above events, the Waste Prevention Team
also attend various public and private events to promote waste
prevention, reuse, and recycling, and are eager to answer questions
about the county's recycling services and waste reduction
initiatives. A full list of events can be found on our website here.
Subscribe to the WSRecycles Newsletter

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Interested in waste prevention and recycling?
Subscribe to the West Sussex Recycles newsletter here for monthly stories, hints
and tips on waste prevention, recycling and reuse. You could also
follow @WSRecycles on social media
to keep updated!
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