The Energy Saving Trust's blog

Understanding ‘The Food We Waste’

Philip is on holiday at the moment, so in his place Helen Northmore - Head of Energy Saving Trust Wales - has written a post for the blog.

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Embarking on the waste pilot in Wales has really opened my eyes to the amount of avoidable food waste we actually generate. In Wales we throw away 330,000 tonnes of food each year and more significantly, in Wales, we buy then waste around £500 million on food that could have been eaten.

As an office we all completed food diaries analysing our food waste and were all surprised by the results. Even those who felt that they were shopping and managing their store cupboards efficiently still saw room for improvement. I thought I was good until I wrote it all down and I realise that I cook meals that are too big and end up wasting food when I am full.

Wrap research has shown good intentions are often hampered by a range of factors including:

· Lack of planning when food shopping - buying more than is needed
· Poor food storage knowledge
· Lack of confidence around cooking
· Confusion over food date labels

Smarter management of our store cupboards and fridges and a better understanding of date labels would mean that we could prevent at least 15 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions each year.  While a large proportion of these emissions are associated with embedded energy a significant amount arises as a result of food waste going to landfill sites. 

Comparing carbon saving figures from our traditional ‘bread and butter’ energy saving messages like cavity wall and loft insulation with the equivalent carbon savings to be made through reducing our food waste shows that the Energy Saving Trust can make a significant difference by providing advice to consumers on this issue.

The ’Love Food hate waste’ or ‘Hoffi Bwyd casau gwastraff’’ campaign aims to educate consumers about the problems associated with our continued waste of food. It also provides consumers with a range of ideas, advice and suggestions to avoid such a large amount of waste including recipes to use up left-overs, storage and freezing information and advice on store cupboard planning. It is the combined efforts of bodies such as Wrap and here in Wales ‘Waste Awareness Wales’ along with our support that mean we should be able to work with consumers to make a significant difference to carbon emissions.

Recycle Week hits the streets

If you were possibly on another planet last week, you may have missed the fact that it was Recycle Week, but, looking at the 250 odd press hits this morning, it certainly wasn’t missed by most. I thought it was interesting, just scanning some of the press reports, to look at some of the things that people got up to last week up and down the country, across hundreds of different events. How about the ethical fashion show in Folkestone headed up “Wear is Billy?” (for the uninitiated he’s the cartoon boy in the Recycle Now ads). Down in the West Country, in Gloucester, there was a massive recycling road show where you could ask any questions you might have about recycling, whilst at the Royal Cornwall Show, over the weekend the County Council had a stand throughout the show, showing you what you can recycle from different parts of the house. Up in the North there were events in Leeds, showing you just how a green bin is sorted and intriguingly, in Manchester, Stockport’s recycling officers were giving the city’s green banks the green treatment themselves by sprucing them up, giving them a complete transformation. In the East it was all a matter of looking out for Bertie Bottle and Carrie Can, in Norfolk they were trekking boldly across the country reminding everybody in the area what it is to recycle, particularly at selected primary schools which is where the message seems to be well received wherever it is in the country.

Which brings me on to something else – Schools. If you want to see a really engaging piece of schools material, one has just been published by the Worcester Bosch Group for young primary kids called – Picture a Greener Future featuring Bobby the Boiler and Solar Sam. The story of which is all around things that take place in the house but also includes a Spot the Difference competition, mix ‘n’ match energy facts and an energy word search – all with readily available answers. This is the sort of stuff that really engages young minds, in fact come to think of it, a few adults might benefit from it as well! Well done to Tracey, Richard and Sue at the Worcester Bosch Group for this really clear, engaging and concise publication. If you want to catch it go to www.worcester-bosch.co.uk

Inspiring and engaging young people to help save the planet

What a load of rubbish

I have just been looking at today’s papers and reading about the latest manufactured crisis in bin collection, eg the Daily Express’s item “Oh No Not Another Rubbish Idea”, which basically is talking about the need for householders to sort their rubbish into five different bins.  Well, perhaps I have missed something here, but in my household we already sub-divide rubbish into paper, plastics, glass, compost and general household rubbish.  So what’s to worry about?!   I can understand that people living in small houses/flats may have certain difficulties, but for the vast majority of households it is actually just about making a small effort isn’t it?  Or are there people out there who really do resent such a small action on their part, in order to help the environment? If so that’s really rubbish.

Remember You're A Womble!

The recycling pioneers. The Wombles showed back in the 70s how to make "good use of bad rubbish"

Two articles caught my eye today, in contrasting ways. The first was in the Independent, which reported on a new study from the Waste and Resources Action Programme, which claims 60 per cent of the food that we dump - worth some £6bn - has never ever been used or even touched. 

Joan Ruddock, the Environment Minister was moved to say that the figures were absolutely staggering at a time when food prices were rising, customers are starting to struggle to meet food bills, and here we are tossing away 6.7 million tonnes of food which could be eaten.  The figures are not without their controversial side, but you have to say from an energy perspective, the sheer amount of energy wasted in producing, growing, packaging, transporting this amount of food that then never gets eaten is quite outrageous especially given that most of the dumped food ends up in landfill where it emits lethal green house gases, such as methane.

Contrast that with an article In Your Environment by Penney Poyzer - the well known celebrity (she will hate me for that) - who really does walk the talk when it comes to living the green life style and puts most of us, myself included, to shame.  Her article was all about remembering the Wombles; those pointed nosed creatures much loved in the 70s, whose motto was “make good use of bad rubbish”.  She points out, even during the 70s they were ahead of their time recycling all of the things human kind left behind, including clocks,  trains out of barrels, hammocks out of nets and yes, food from skips.

Although you can get carried away with some of the whimsy in the article (“I have got a bit of a thing with olive oil tins”) no-one can deny the sheer obscenity of the current situation, in which a third of all food bought is thrown away. Surely the alternative scenario where we kit out our homes with reusable products, only buy enough food for our needs and, where possible, grow our own food is the only way forward.

There is no choice really, so as she says “Remember, Remember You’re a Womble”