How to reduce your food waste

Did you know each UK household throws away on average £500 worth of perfectly good food each year? That amounts to some 4.5m tonnes {1} in total!

Not only is it a waste of money, it’s also bad for the environment, because food that goes to landfill releases climate-changing methane gasses as it decomposes. 

Reduce your household’s food waste by following these simple steps:  

Shop smart

Make it a habit to never go shopping without a list, even if it’s just for a few things. This way, you’ll be less tempted to purchase things you don’t need (which are more likely to end up in the bin). Try using an app or a notepad to build up your list throughout the week, or download our handy food planner (PDF).

Another easy trick is to make your food go further by anticipating leftover ingredients – for instance, if your veggie lasagne only needs half a pack of mushrooms, plan another mushroom dish for later in the week. Check out the Love your leftovers section in our Food magazine for inspiration, or browse our recipes. 

Don’t let it go off 

Avoid throwing away food that’s out of date by checking the Use By date, and make a note to use it up by that time. Don’t underestimate the power of your freezer either, particularly if you buy in bulk. A surprising number of foods can be frozen and defrosted for later use, from mince to milk and even vegetables like broccoli and onions.

Shop at Co-op

We hate food waste, which is one of the reasons for our Food Share initiative, where instead of letting good food go off, we give it to local community groups. We’ve also been donating surplus fruit, veg and more to those in need via FareShare since 2013, making a shop with Co-op the greener choice.

Compost your leftovers

Composting old food is one of the simplest, most affordable ways of preventing it from going to landfill. If composting levels worldwide increased, it’s estimated we could reduce emissions by a staggering 2.1 billion tonnes by 2050{2}.

Many local councils in the UK now collect food waste for composting as part of your rubbish collection, or offer subsidised composting bins so you can do it yourself.

Iain Ferguson
Environment Manager 

{1} https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/24/uk-households-waste-45m-tonnes-of-food-each-year

{2} https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200224-how-cutting-your-food-waste-can-help-the-climate