Sustainable Waste | Food waste: what you can do

The recyclability of food waste depends on the local authority. If you’ve received a kitchen caddy to collect food waste, it does mean that you can recycle food remaining, raw and cooked. It is important that you remove all packaging from food. The collected scraps will be composted at local facilities and used in agriculture and landscaping.

Leicester City Council does not offer this possibility, however, it says that “food waste placed in your wheeled bin is seggregated by the Ball Mill and sent to an AD plant where it turns into soil fertilizer” [1]. Very good don’t you think?

What to do at home?

1. Try to reduce your food waste. How?

• Try to plan your meal ahead and check fridge, freezer, and cupboard to see what you need. Make a list and bring with you to the store [I often forgot...!]
• Be careful with the ‘use by’ date of your ingredients. The GroceryHero app can be helpful in this!
• Don’t cook too much. Meaning keep control of the portion of food you prepare.
• Keep and eat the leftover [sometimes things taste even better the day after!].
• Make the most of your fruit and veg. For example apples can last longer if kept in the fridge, and even more if they are wrapped. When they are still ok, but not as fresh as they could be use them [apples and any type of veg and fruit] to cook, in sweet and savoury recipes.
• Froze your food before the ‘use by’ date. It will freeze the date too! However, when you want to use it, defrost and eat within 24 hours.
• Ever thought about eating skin of potatoes!? Sprinkle with salt and pepper, put in the oven, et voilà crisps!

2. You can make your own compost!

What you can put in your compost bin:

• Fruit and vegetable peelings, seeds and cores
• Tea bags
• Coffee grounds and filter papers –> remember that the Coffee Lab @DMU offers free coffee grounds for home composting?!
• Paper towels or tissues (not if they have touched meat)
• Egg shells

You cannot compost: cooked food, fish, meat or dairy products .

References:

LoveFoodHateWaste.com. “Help save the environment simply by wasting less food.” Retrieved 21.11.12, from http://england.lovefoodhatewaste.com/content/help-save-environment-simply-wasting-less-food.

Recyclenow.com. “Food Waste. Can it be recycled?”. Retrieved 21.11.12, from http://www.recyclenow.com/what_can_i_do_today/can_it_be_recycled/christmas_items/food_waste.html.

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