By Hanna Leppanen
Islington Council is one of the 24 boroughs in London that collects food waste and turns it into a resource by recycling it.
Islington collected over 4,206 tonnes of organic waste in 2018, which saved over £80,692 on the council’s disposal costs. Food waste is collected once week and council provide free green bins, a kitchen caddy for the surplus food and free compostable bags which can be collected from the local library.
“We throw away too much food. It’s a resource, not a waste. It can be used in electricity or for compost which farmers can use. Leftover food from households or shops can be given to those who are facing hunger. There are multiple good ways to recycle,” says Jess Rolan, who works with Karma.life to reduce businesses food waste.
When food waste ends up in landfill, it releases methane, a greenhouse gas, which is 25 times more toxic to the environment than carbon dioxide.
“Food waste is a systemic issue that affects us globally and in the community. Every year we throw away £10 billion worth of food, which equals about 25 million tonnes of greenhouse gasses. It is a huge problem on an economical and environmental level,” says Tim Tang, a food waste volunteer for Olio app.
Olio app collects food waste from residents and shops so that it can be shared with the community. Food can be ordered through the app or people can go and collect it from a specific place where volunteers are distributing it.
According to research from the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), the annual food waste in 2015 within UK households was 7.1 million tonnes. 70% of this waste could have been eaten and is worth over £15 billion. The carbon for this amount of food waste equals to what is generated by one in four cars on UK roads.
“I think one of the most important things is to boost awareness all over the world and bring this information also to schools. Most of the people are not aware of how much food they are throwing away and how it affects the environment,” Tang continues.
According to WRAP the food and drink we waste, that could have been eaten, would fill:
- 9 Wembley Stadiums (London, UK)
- 100 Royal Albert Halls
- 4,000 Olympic sized swimming pools
How to prevent food waste?
- Plan your meals
- Only buy what you need
- Use leftovers in other meals
- Use correct storage to help keep food fresher for longer
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