Charity urges West Midlands households to tackle food waste
FareShare Midlands are encouraging local households to cut food waste during Food Waste Action Week
A charity in the West Midlands is urging households to cut down on food waste as part of Food Waste Action Week.
Food Waste Action Week aims to raise awareness of the scale of food waste and highlight simple steps people can take to reduce it.
Charities like FareShare Midlands say cutting waste at home not only helps the environment but can also support efforts to tackle hunger in local communities.
FareShare Midlands redistributes surplus food to community groups and food banks across the region, helping to support around 60,000 vulnerable people every week.
The organisation works with supermarkets, manufacturers and suppliers to ensure edible surplus food is redirected to those who need it most rather than going to waste.
Simone Connolly, CEO of FareShare Midlands, said small changes at home can make a big difference: "There is enough food wasted in this country each year that could make an estimated ten billion meals.
"Most food waste comes from food wasted at home, that's us consumers buying too much food and not using it by the end of the week so it goes in the bin.
"To tackle this households can think more carefully about planning meals, storing food properly and using up leftovers to reduce the amount thrown away."
Simone continued: "We handle thousands of tins of food every single year, we redistribute enough food that contribute to around thirteen million meals but we could do so much more because there is so much surplus food in the supply chain.
"Produce like potatoes and carrots is among the most commonly wasted, so we’re calling on the Government to recognise that it could be redirected into communities to help vulnerable households eat better."
The UK government is implementing "Simpler Recycling" reforms, which requires most households in England to have weekly separate food waste collections by March 2026.
Over £295 million in funding has been provided to local councils with the aim to reduce landfill waste and align with the target of halving food waste by 2030.
Claire Shrewsbury, Director of Insights and Innovations WRAP, said: "Weekly food waste collections will give recycling in England an important boost and help reduce the impact of food waste on climate change.
"Our research shows that when food waste collections are introduced, and people see how much food goes to waste in their home, they want to do something about it. And with food waste costing a household of four around £1,000 a year, weekly collections will not only help prevent food waste in the first place, but utilise the food waste collected to generate green energy and compost."