Think about food waste…

WARRINGTON residents are being encouraged to think about food waste this Christmas – to save money and waste less.
The borough council is backing the “Love Food Hate Waste” campaign by encouraging people to visit the www.lovefoodhatewaste.com website and take advantage of recipes, tips and a Christmas dinner portion planner.
Coun Alan Litton, the council’s executive member for environment and transport said: “We believe that recycling is extremely important, no more so than at this time of year when households in the borough generate more waste including cardboard, packaging, Christmas cards and trees – all of which can be recycled or composted.
“A recent waste analysis carried out in Warrington showed that residents throw away over 15,000 tonnes of food a year. The vast majority is still in its packaging or has been cooked, indicating that we’re cooking too much or not using food in time. This waste of food costs the average family with children £680 per year.
“Food waste is damaging to the environment because producing, storing and getting food to our homes uses a lot of energy and resources, all of which are wasted when food gets binned. And when this food reaches landfill sites it emits methane – a powerful greenhouse gas.”
Coun Litton said if people stopped throwing food away it would save carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to taking onein every four cars off the roads.
“By shopping smarter, cooking the right amount, making the most of our freezers and understanding date labelling on food, we can all waste less food and save money,” he said.