Food Waste Action Week: Win. Don't bin.

Members of the public are being asked to try and reduce the food wasted at home in the third annual Food Waste Action Week (6-12 March).

Led by WRAP, the UK’s leading sustainability charity, Food Waste Action Week aims to raise people’s awareness of the huge impact of household food waste on climate change and share practical advice, food-savvy behaviours and tips on how we can all easily reduce the food we waste in our homes.

This year's theme is 'Win. Don't Bin.'

It will demonstrate how valuable food is in our lives and how using up everything we buy saves money and the planet. The week aims to increase residents’ confidence in ‘using up leftovers’ by promoting a range of skills that can be easily adopted but potentially have the greatest impact on reducing food waste in the home.

It's never been more vital to make the most of our food, prices of key cupboard staples have soared over the last year, including items such as butter, eggs and pasta. That’s why the Greater Manchester Combined Authority is encouraging residents to only buy what they need, store food properly to make it last for longer and get creative in the kitchen to use up your leftovers.

Each year, UK households throw away 6.6 million tonnes of food, which in turn is responsible for nearly 25 million tonnes of CO2 emissions, equivalent to 5.4% of the UK’s territorial emissions.

Of this, 4.5 million tonnes is food that could have been eaten and is worth approximately £14 billion (or £60 a month for an average family with two children). It requires an area almost the size of Wales to produce all the food and drink currently wasted in the UK.

Councillor Martyn Cox, GMCA lead for the Green City Region and Waste and Recycling, said: “We are proud to be supporting the third national Food Waste Action Week with the local authorities across the city-region.

“Tackling the impact of climate change is still our top priority in Greater Manchester as we look to hit our target of net zero carbon by 2038. Wasted food has a huge impact on climate change, from the release of greenhouse gases to the waste of land, water, and energy. With over 2.8 million residents living across the city-region, we’re urging everyone to play their part by taking simple steps to help reduce the amount of food we throw away.

“Wasting food also wastes money. Throwing away costs the average family more than £700 a year. That’s why our food waste campaign Buy Keep Eat Repeat has been helping residents to reduce food waste and save money by suggesting small changes to the way we shop, and how we store and prepare food.”

To mark both Food Waste Action Week (6 to 12 March) and Fairtrade Fortnight (27 February to 12 March), the Rochdale Pioneers Museum is opening on Saturday 11 March, working with Rochdale Borough Council's environmental team to reduce food waste.

Fairtrade Fortnight 2023 will focus on the climate crisis and the increasing threat it poses to some of the planet’s most beloved food products as well as the livelihoods of the farmers and agricultural workers who grow them.

You can try your hand at co-operative soup making, using seasonal British vegetables from local co-ops in Rochdale, which would otherwise be going to waste.

More information, including allergen information and how to book a place, is available here:

• www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/events/71945/events-in-rochdale/soup-making-for-food-waste-and-fair-trade-saturday

Elsewhere in the Toad Lane building, the food waste reduction team will be providing top tips to help you reduce your food waste even further, and you can also taste ethically sourced coffee from Hasbean, grabbing a free coffee sack (ideal for gardening or home textile project) in the process.