It’s Food Waste Action Week from March 6th – 12th and this year’s theme is ‘Win. Don’t Bin’.
The campaign, from Love Food Hate Waste by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), helps people make their food go further by demonstrating how making the most of what they buy and using up all of their leftovers saves time and money.
As the UK’s largest food waste behaviour change initiative, Food Waste Action Week aims to increase citizens’ confidence in making the most of their food by promoting a range of skills that can be easily adopted but potentially have the greatest impact on reducing food waste in the home.
New research from Love Food Hate Waste reveals that time-strapped people could get back 2 ½ days a year by using up uneaten food. Enough to treat ourselves to a weekend away with friends and family or enough time to binge-watch a whole series of Love Island and still having ‘me’ time to go to the gym or out for a long walk!
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council is adding its support to the campaign, with the Mayor, Councillor Ivor Wallace, commenting: “Food Waste Action Week encourages all of us to think about our habits and attitudes around food waste.
“We can make our food go further, and save ourselves money, by giving more thought to what we are buying and cooking, and with the rising cost of living this is something we should all consider.
“Follow the campaign throughout the week, and get inspired to make some positive changes to cut down the amount of food we waste unnecessarily every day.”
Jackie Bailey, Love Food Hate Waste campaign manager, said: “In our busy lives, many of us wish we had more time. One simple way around this is to use up those extra portions we often seem to have; a simple solution that could help you get some life back and turn food we’ve already cooked into a second delicious meal!
“For this year’s Food Waste Action Week, we’re encouraging the nation to follow ‘Win. Don’t Bin’ and highlighting the very real benefits that using up your uneaten food can have on your pockets, your personal time and the planet.
"Even more importantly, at a time of rising food prices, tackling food waste at home is one way we can all make a difference - and help save money.”
[1] This statistic is taken from nationally representative OnePoll survey of 2,000 UK adults undertaken on behalf of WRAP, 15-17 February 2023.
To watch the Food Waste Action Week 2023 Win. Don't Bin video click below