How to help reduce food and plastic waste

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Pump dispensersSunrise Organics on St Michael’s Road in Bournemouth has launched a zero waste organic loose food area, in a bid to reduce plastic waste. They also have a refill station, where customers with their own containers can top up on laundry detergent, fabric conditioner, and hygiene products.

According to the charity, Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), the UK generates around 2.4 million tonnes of packaging waste per year. Roughly 1.7 million tonnes of this is generated by households. We currently recycle around 50% of plastic bottles and just 12-15% of mixed plastics. These figures show that we still have a long way to go, where recycling is concerned, and serves to highlight the need for schemes to reduce packaging in the first place.

Food waste is another hot topic at the moment. WRAP’s ‘Love Food, Hate Waste’ campaign aims to educate consumers on the environmental impact of food waste, as well the cost to individuals. They estimate that an average family of four could be saving up to £70 per month, by planning meals, getting creative with leftovers, and making better use of their freezer. Their website is packed full of tips and information, to help consumers stay savvy, save money and waste less.

Many supermarkets, including Asda, Aldi, Tesco and Lidl, now offer great deals on ‘wonky’ veg, in an effort to encourage us embrace food that may not look perfect, but is still perfectly fine to eat. Plenty of wholesome, delicious produce is in season in the UK over the winter months, including pumpkins (why not pick your own at Sopley Farm!), wild mushrooms, and watercress. It’s the time of year when we all want to hunker down with a comforting bowl of soup.

You can learn more about what’s in season, and find some great recipes here. 

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