Ways to mark Food Waste Action Week

It’s Food Waste Action Week…

Here, Raddon from our Lalley Community Allotment tells us more…

Food that gets thrown away isn’t just a waste of the food that could have fed somebody, it also means wasted resources in the water, energy, fertiliser and land used to grow it.

When it ends up in landfill or is incinerated, the powerful greenhouse gas methane is released which contributes significantly to global warming. So, here at Caritas Salford, we’ve taken big steps to tackle food waste within our charity and in our local area over the last year.

At the Caritas Lalley Centre, our food pantry supplies supermarket surplus, collected by volunteers in our electric van, to people who are struggling to afford enough food to feed themselves or their families.

This helps to reduce the amount of waste created in the first place and we’ve had some great feedback that people feel their families are actually eating more healthily as a result of visiting the pantry, due to the supply of good fresh fruit and vegetables we offer.

Our project, Caritas Compost Club, funded by Recycle4GM has enabled us to compost all inedible or leftover items from the food pantry on our community allotment using a Ridan Composter since October 2023. It has also engaged all staff and children from St Malachy’s RC Primary School next door, who now bring their school food waste down each day in buckets to be composted in the Ridan. They even sing a song about what they need to remember to do at lunchtime!

To date, the project has recycled over 3.2 tonnes of food waste, producing over 4 tonnes of compost (due to adding woodchip), which has already been used to start growing organic food on the allotment.

Janine Parker, the school headteacher, has said of the project: “It’s a highly successful way of bringing recycling to life for the children. For me, it’s a real, practical way, rather than just talking about it as a theory or abstract concept. This is actually something really hands on. I feel it’s a really unique opportunity and we’re privileged to be part of it.”

In the UK, more than 70% of food waste is created in households, however, so there’s a part for us all to play in tackling the problem.

In Greater Manchester, the easiest way to ensure your food waste will be recycled is to use a green bin so it can be composted on a mass scale. If you’ve got a bit of space in a yard or garden, however, you can easily start composting your scraps and garden waste. Just remember to add about 50% ‘brown’ waste too, like ripped up brown cardboard or woodchip, to speed up the process and reduce the smell!

So, this Food Waste Action Week, take a minute to think about whether there are ways you could reduce your own food waste by using up leftovers, buying only what you need and storing what you buy correctly.

And, if you don’t already, why not switch to using a green bin, or take the plunge and get composting!

To find out more about the Lalley Centre, Community Pantry and Allotment, click here.