Get involved in Food Waste Action Week to save the planet and your pocket

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  • UK’s third national Food Waste Action Week begins today (6th March), with Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) supporting activity.
  • GMCA will be supporting Food Waste Action Week with engagement activities for residents and across social media, print and digital advertising, as well as the Recycle for Greater Manchester (R4GM) website.

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) supports the third annual Food Waste Action Week.

Led by Love Food Hate Waste, the customer-facing brand of the UK’s leading sustainability charity – WRAP, this year’s Food Waste Action Week is taking place from 6th – 12th March with the theme of ‘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 like butter, eggs and pasta. That’s why GMCA 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.

According to WRAP, we throw away 6.6 million tonnes of household food waste a year in the UK. This food waste is responsible for nearly 25 million tonnes of CO2 emissions, equivalent to 5.4% of the UK’s territorial emissions. The majority, 4.5 million tonnes, is food that could have been eaten and is worth approximately £14 billion (or equivalent to £60 a month an average family with two children).

GMCA will be supporting Food Waste Action Week across social media, print and digital advertising, and on the Recycle for Greater Manchester (R4GM) website. GMCA will be sharing tips and guides on how to store food properly and how to make the most of leftovers by linking the week to their ongoing campaign Buy Keep Eat Repeat to tackle food waste. GMCA will also be working with local authorities across the city-region to raise awareness of the week with residents and encourage them to get involved.

There will also be two special drop-ins for residents in Greater Manchester during Food Waste Action Week. Residents will be able to talk to the Recycle for Greater Manchester team at Oldham Library on Monday 6th March between 10am and 4pm and Bury Market between 10am and 1pm on Friday 10th March. The R4GM team will be on hand to give tips and hacks on food storage, leftovers and best before dates.

Cllr 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.” 

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