Focus on food waste in European Week of Waste Reduction

It’s European Week of Waste Reduction this week, and Orkney Islands Council is focusing in on food waste.

Jayne Venables, OIC’s Waste Strategy Officer said: “Due to Orkney’s location, as a community we clock up a lot of food miles. So what happens to food after it’s left your plate is really important.

“We’ll be out and about speaking to people about simple ways to reduce food waste - whether that’s remembering to use the freezer, to reducing impulse buying, to learning recipes for making use of leftovers – and using composting and digesters to turn waste into a treat for your garden.”

The drop-in sessions are:

• Tuesday 21 November from 10:30am to 15:00pm at the Council’s Customer Services in School Place, Kirkwall.
• Wednesday 22 November from 10:30am to 15:00pm at Robertson’s in the Hope.
• Friday 24 November at Kirkwall Airport, from 10:30am to 15:00pm.

Did you know:

• Around 70% of the food we throw out is binned because we didn’t use it in time? Love your freezer!
• Home treatment of food waste will slash the miles your food waste travels and cut the costs and emissions produced by incineration.
• You can get free ‘green cones’ (food waste digesters) from the Council – ask at our Customer Services by phoning 01856873535 or email.
• Every year in Scotland we throw away over £1 billion worth of good food from our homes – costing the average family £39 a month. For leftover recipes and tips on food storage, portion sizes and meal planning visit the Love Food Hate Waste website .

For more ideas and information about reducing waste, follow the Council’s Orkney – Reduce Reuse Recycle Facebook page.