Food waste

Reduce

In Staffordshire, approximately 30% of everything thrown into the general waste bin is food. That is over half a tonne of food every year per household and lot of this waste could have been avoided. 

The average family of 4 can save £60 a month by reducing their food waste. You can reduce your food waste by:

• planning meals and only buying what you need. Consider buying loose fruit and vegetables rather than packaged varieties if you only need a few

• think about making a list before you go shopping or take a fridge ‘shelfie’ so you don’t buy what you already have

• using your freezer - if you haven’t had time to eat it you might be able to freeze it right up to the use by date. Most food can be frozen, except those with a high water content such as lettuce. Many common items such as milk, bread and cheese can all be frozen. Do not re-freeze food which has previously been frozen, if you are unsure check the label

• understanding the ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates

• • use by is about food safety, food should not be consumed after the use by date

• • best before refers to quality - your food is at its best before this date but should still be OK to eat after the date 

• storing food correctly can make them last much longer, read the label if you are not sure and set your fridge to the correct temperature

Reuse

Don’t let your leftovers go to waste, turn them into another tasty meal. For a few ideas for using leftovers, check out our recipe book:

• Recipe book (884 KB)

For other ideas add what your leftover ingredients are in the Love Food Hate Waste website to generate suggested recipes.

Recycle

You can recycle uncooked fruit and vegetables in your home compost as well as eggshells.

Newcastle-Under-Lyme Borough Council and Staffordshire Moorlands District Council offer a food waste collection service for its residents. For other Staffordshire councils food waste must go in the general waste bin. Check your local council for further information. 

Do not place food waste in your dry recycling bin.

Dispose

If your council does not offer a food waste recycling service for food waste this should be disposed of in the general waste bin. All waste placed in your rubbish bin is taken to one of Staffordshire’s energy recovery plants.