By South Holland District Council waste and recycling officer Laura Simpkins
The first two weeks of my rubbish challenge are going well, although it hasn’t always been easy with waste related decisions proving difficult at times.
This fortnight I have focused on reducing food waste. This is something simple that every household can do. Even though I thought I was a careful portion planner, I still throw out food occasionally. Over the past two weeks I have made a special effort not to throw food waste out in my black bag. Meal planning can be time consuming, however by carefully planning my meals and not buying excessively over a fortnightly period I managed to cut my food waste from 0.5kg to 0kg. I also paid closer attention to using leftovers, taking the opportunity of a ready made lunch when I had cooked a portion that was slightly too big!
I made sure that I was composting all my fruit and vegetable peelings by keeping a bin on my desk at work to put compostable items in. I also started collecting tea bags in my mini compost bin too, saving them from the black bag.
As well as reducing food waste, I made a conscious effort to buy food in less packaging or more recyclable packaging. This is as simple as not putting loose fruit and vegetable in film bags in supermarkets or choosing loose items instead of items packaged in plastic film and polystyrene.
This is not always possible; however, thinking about food at the point of purchase has led me to make more sustainable choices whilst shopping in the supermarket.
These tips may seem simple, but if residents across the district started to think more sustainably these simple steps could be part of something much bigger.
Total black bag slim = 0.5kg!
