People living in Edinburgh are encouraged to make 2022 the year they stop wasting food, for good.
Around 600,000 tonnes of household food waste goes to landfill every year and according to research only one third of adults understand the link between food waste and climate change.
The Scottish Government’s Food Waste campaign has launched again this week with a new message encouraging people to save food, save money and save the Earth.
If food waste is not put into recycling then it is added to landfill, decomposing and creating methane which is a greenhouse gas. If properly recycled food waste can be converted into green energy to power homes.
Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity Lorna Slater met with Zero Waste Scotland Chief Executive Iain Gulland and Rachel Green, Director, The Ripple Community Café at The Ripple Community Café on Wednesday to launch the new campaign. The Ripple Community Café offers freshly made food using redistributed produce in partnership with Edinburgh Community Food and Cyrenians Fareshare.
Launching the Scottish Government’s Food Waste campaign, together, they showed how simple it can be to reduce your food waste and cook up a tasty and low-cost meal by using up the leftover food which otherwise would end up in landfill.
The new ‘Save Food. Save Money. Save the Earth.’ initiative showcases quick and simple steps people can take to reduce their food waste and recycle the waste they cannot avoid from banana skins to eggshells. Not only can Scots help save the earth, but each household could also save approximately £440 per year.
The new drive aims to show that more action is needed to reduce and recycle food waste to help Scotland reach net zero and stop contributing to climate change.
Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity Lorna Slater, said: “In the ongoing climate emergency, it’s impossible to ignore the global issue of food waste. That’s why the Scottish Government is investing in projects to reduce food waste and improve recycling facilities, but we all have a role to play. We can all do more to reduce and recycle food waste, cutting emissions and helping Scotland on our journey to net zero.
“Community hubs such as The Ripple Community Café play a vital role in utilising food which would otherwise go to waste while also providing a welcoming space to for locals. By utilising and supporting hubs like this we can drive home the message that each one of us can help save our food waste from ending up in landfills and ensure that it is recycled properly.”
Zero Waste Scotland Chief Executive Iain Gulland, said: “Scottish households continue to throw away a staggering amount of food waste, totalling £1.1billion in unnecessary food and drink purchases each year.
“We can all play our part by making simple, sustainable, changes – such as meal planning, storing food correctly, checking the cupboards for ingredients before hitting the shops, and getting inventive with leftovers.
“Getting food onto our plates is a resource intensive process – so, when food is thrown out, all the raw materials are also wasted. We can have a huge, positive, impact on the climate by stopping perfectly edible food from going to waste in the first place.”
For tips to save food, save money, save the earth, go to netzeronation.scot
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
