Win Don’t bin! That’s the message as we mark the national Food Waste Action Week (6 – 12 March 2023) in Torbay.

Food Waste Action Week 2023 will shine a light on how correct storage of food that has already been bought and prepared can provide a second (or third!) meal. ‘Win Don’t Bin!’ refers to the little wins that come with correctly storing and using up leftover freshly cooked meals. The national hashtag is #FoodWasteActionWeek and the national campaign is led by Waste Resources and Action Programme (WRAP).

Torbay Council and SWISCo are working to increase recycling in the Bay from the current 37% and have already introduced a Right Stuff Right Box scheme where residents were sent blue bags for paper and colour coded stickers for recycling boxes, along with letters and leaflets to simplify recycling. In addition, a new kerbside garden waste subscription scheme was introduced in October 2022 and so far more than 4,500 residents in the Bay have already signed up.

As well as reminding all residents of what to do with their food waste, the campaign will encourage those who haven’t got food caddies or bins to order them.

Steve Darling, Leader of Torbay Council, said: “We’re pleased to support Food Waste Action Week here in Torbay. We’re working hard to increase local recycling rates and we have already made progress on areas such as garden waste and making it easier for people to recycle through our Right Stuff, Right Box campaign. Food waste is one of our next top priorities as we know it is a significant issue, both locally and nationally.

“Around 20% of Torbay’s residual waste is food waste and this could have been put into their food caddies/food bins instead, which is then used to create renewable energy.

Councillor Mike Morey, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, Environment and Culture for Torbay Council, said: “It’s essential that we all do all we can to reduce, reuse and recycle food waste wherever possible as this is not only a better use of resources but also helps us to tackle climate change and generate energy through biogas. And don’t worry if you haven’t got a food bin or caddy, or if yours is broken – you can easily order new ones from our website.”

Some facts about Food Waste:

• In Torbay every year, 6000 tonnes of food waste is thrown away with general waste, this is the equivalent weight of 500 recycling lorries!
• Your food waste is converted into biogas, creating clean, renewable energy.
• Did you know that 24 million slices of bread are thrown away every DAY in the UK. If you lined all these slices up, it would be long enough to get from Torbay to Scotland 5 times!
• Nine recycled banana peels generates enough energy to fully charge a laptop.
• Get the right stuff in the right box, and remember to get your food stuff in your food caddy.
• Did you know that recycling a full kitchen caddy creates enough energy to power a TV for 2.5 hours.
• The average family could save £60 a month or £720 a year on food waste if they only buy what they need

If you haven’t got one, you can order a food caddy or food waste bin (or both if needed) here.

Find out more about food waste here. 

You can find lots of great ideas for recipes for leftovers on the Love Food, Hate Waste website.