Love food, hate waste!

12.00.00pm GMT Tue 13th Nov 2007

Liberal Democrats on Suffolk County Council today urged support for a campaign to encourage people to cut food waste after learning that 74,000 tonnes of food are thrown away each year by Suffolk's residents.

Most of the food is usable but instead of ending up on the dinner plate, it ends up in landfill sites.

Environmental campaign group Waste and Resource Action Programme (WRAP) revealed that the UK bins 6.7 million tonnes of food a year - 112kg per person.

Speaking about the campaign, Deputy Leader Cllr Andrew Cann said, "It's quite incredible how much food we throw away. WRAP has found that nine out of ten people are currently not aware of the quantity of food they throw out but when it is brought to their attention, most want to do something about it.

There are some basic ways to avoid food waste which WRAP recommend people adopt. For example, work out what food you need and write a shopping list, rather than making choices when going around the supermarket. People can also make more use of their fridge, freezer or airtight boxes rather than leaving food out in the open where it goes off quicker.

People in Suffolk spend £133 each on food that is thrown away each year. That's £133 each of us throws into a landfill site. Added to this is what it costs the council taxpayer to collect and then dispose of the waste. And in landfill sites, waste food rots and gives off methane, a strong greenhouse gas that is causing global warming.

We each have to play our part in protecting the environment. By avoiding wasting food, we can save money as well."

Visit: http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com for handy tips on saving money and avoiding waste.