The residents of a street in Lowestoft didn’t realise they were wasting so much food each week – until they took part in The Street That Saved #Food Savvy Challenge, that is. Here’s how they came together to tackle food waste.
Whether it’s putting an over-ripe banana in the freezer to make smoothies at a later date, or exercising some portion control, everyone can think of a way to reduce food waste if they put their mind to it.
Residents of Lowestoft High Street were challenged to save money by reducing their food waste as part of The Street That Saved, a #FoodSavvy campaign led by the #FoodSavvy is a collaborative food waste reduction campaign led by Norfolk County Council, the Suffolk Waste Partnership and environmental charity, Hubbub.
With support from the ongoing #FoodSavvy initiative, residents from 12 households were provided with personalised tips and hacks, a free food saving kit, an expert food waste cook-along and a foodie street festival to help collectively make their food go further.
The challenge took place over a month and residents weighed their food waste before and after the challenge. The final weigh-in showed an average saving of more than £40 and 5.6kg per household, per month – equivalent to £485 and 67kg per year.
Resident Lorraine Le Grice reported nearly £26.90 of waste in the first week, compared to just £2.30 in the final week. If her household kept up its new food saving habits for a whole year, they would be more than £1,279 better off.
Lorraine says: ‘We didn’t think we were wasting much food, but it turns out we were!’
Fellow resident Christine Newman adds: ‘We now think more consistently about how we can save food, rather than throwing it away.’
Residents were asked to provide their number one food waste reduction tip that they learnt during the challenge, which included:
- Freezing bananas – ready for a smoothie or ice cream
- Putting leftover meals in the freezer rather than the fridge to make them last even longer
- Measuring portions – to reduce waste and avoid eating too much!
Councillor James Mallinder, chair of the Suffolk Waste Partnership, says: ‘The #FoodSavvy campaign is all about promoting simple and easy ways to ensure food avoids the bin.
‘The Street That Saved helped the people of Suffolk to show that with some small changes they can keep food on their plates and money in their pockets, and by using our resources better we are helping the planet and tackling the climate emergency.
‘In Norfolk and Suffolk 118,000 tonnes of food is wasted across the two counties annually – that’s up to £730 worth of food per household every year.
‘We hope that those who took part in The Street That Saved challenge continue to use their new-found techniques to keep their food waste down and their spending money up.’
Launched in 2018, the campaign aims to help households save money and reduce food waste in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the UK’s Courtauld Commitment.
Inspired by The Street That Saved to reduce your food waste? Take the four-week Food Savvy Challenge and you and your household could be the next food waste heroes. Head to www.foodsavvy.org.uk to sign up for the challenge and receive food saving hints and tips straight to your inbox. Every household that signs up to the challenge by December 5 will be entered into a draw to win £180 – the amount that the average UK household could save over three months of not wasting food.
PICTURE CAPTION: Councillor James Mallinder, far right, and Mayor of Lowestoft Councillor Alan Green with High Street residents that took part in The Street That Saved challenge. (Picture credit: Suffolk Waste Partnership)
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