When preparing meals, do you think about the food waste that might be left over? We’re not talking eggshells and vegetable peelings, we mean the food that, with a bit more planning, could have been eaten. Around a third of all the food we buy ends up being thrown away. Food production, transportation and storage use energy, water and packaging - that’s a lot of wasted resources.
DDC and KCC are at the forefront of the national campaign, ‘Love Food Hate Waste’. The simple message is to enjoy the food we buy and do easy things to cut how much is wasted. We are supporting the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) “Love Food, Hate Waste” campaign to reduce the district’s food waste.
The Love Food Hate Waste campaign was launched by celebrity chef and TV presenter Ainsley Harriott who says: “This campaign is aimed at everyone. You don’t have to be a chef to know how to cut down on food waste, you just need to care about your food and your pocket and the rest follows. We all need to take action and start changing our behaviour”.
The councils are actively pushing the campaign message. Buses, billboards, bus stops, and posters are all being used in Dover District to raise awareness of ‘Love Food Hate Waste’.
Research by WRAP shows that on average we waste a third of the food we buy, costing each household up to £400 per year on food, which isn’t eaten. This is a big hit on our pockets, as well as on our environment. Many people are surprised that food waste is one of the biggest causes of harmful climate change gases. If we reduced food waste by half, it would be the equivalent of taking 1 in 5 of the nation’s cars off the road.
Email: pr@dover.gov.uk
