Food
Reducing food waste can go a long way towards cutting our Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and cutting the cost of our food bills.
Did you know that 70% of UK post-farm food waste is made in the home (rather than in shops and food services)?
(Source: Food Foundation)
An estimated 756,000 tonnes of fruit and veg are wasted every year in the UK supply chain, with an estimated 1.9 million tonnes wasted in the home. The independent Climate Change Committee recommends that emissions linked to food should be cut back through a reduction in the consumption of animal-based foods and in the amount of food wasted. Just by halving UK food waste, we would save and offset around 51 million tonnes of CO2 (that's around 11.3% of the current total Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the UK).
(Source: Food Foundation)
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So how can you help to save valuable food produce? We have some brilliant solutions right here in Merton to reduce, recycle and compost our food so that nothing is ever wasted.
Reduce​
Using Up Ingredients
​Is there food lingering at the back of your fridge or cupboard, but you're out of ideas on how to use them up? Try these apps which help make tasty meals from your random ingredients. Simply add what ingredients you have and the sites will generate some good recipes.
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Donating or Taking Surplus Food
Community Fridges aim to redistribute surplus food from local businesses and food growers to the Merton community, ultimately stopping tonnes of good quality food from going to waste. All food is free to take and everyone is welcome to visit Sustainable Merton's Community Fridge in Morden.
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If you or your businesses would like to donate food to Merton's Community Fridge we would love to hear from you! If you have a business interested in donating surplus food but are unable to drop it off, please get in touch to potentially arrange a collection.
What does the Community Fridge need most?: Vegetables, fruit, bakery items, meat, dairy
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Food Waste Reduction Apps
Olio or Too good to go are two great mobile apps to prevent food waste.
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Using Leftovers
Leftovers from meals are perfect to keep in the fridge for a day or two to use for packed lunches or dinners. Be sure to only reheat leftovers once, and make sure the food is heated all the way through before serving (or you can always eat them cold straight from the fridge if that's your thing!). Some foods freeze very well if you want to keep them a little longer (or if you're about to go on your holidays). Take a look at Food Savvy for freezer-friendly food tips.
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Top Tip: Cut down on even more waste by retiring the cling film by using a bowl with a plate to cover the top, or a small saucepan with a lid when storing your leftovers in the fridge.
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Going out for a special meal? Be sure to take along a little Tupperware-style box with you and ask to take home your leftovers.
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Sometimes leftovers aren't just from meals. Millions of pumpkins go to waste every Halloween because they are carved but not eaten. Take a look at Hubbub's Eat Your Pumpkin campaign for helpful tips and recipes to make sure that no pumpkin is wasted!
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Recycle
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Merton Council Food Waste Collection
In Merton, curbside food waste collection is available. The food scraps that are collected is turned into fertiliser and biogas fuel, through a process called anaerobic digestion. The fertiliser is used by farms, and the biogas fuel is used to power the electricity grid.
