Food Waste recycling – our top tips

Did you know that if everyone in London recycled one banana skin today, we could turn that into enough energy to charge 16, 616, 738 mobile phones? And that if each one of us recycled just one potato peel, that could be turned into enough compost to grow 1, 384, 728 brand new potatoes? Impressive, right?

Not all of us live in an area with a food waste recycling service (something which will hopefully change in the coming years!) but for those of us that do, we’ve compiled a list of top tips to help you recycle more:

Any container can act as a food waste caddy in your kitchen, so long as you place your food waste into your council-provided container outside.

Line your caddy with newspaper or kitchen roll to help keep it clean.

Empty your caddy regularly to keep smells at a minimum.

Use lemon or essential oils to keep your caddy smelling fresh.

You can recycle bones, egg shells and coffee grounds!

 

Food waste prevention – our top tips

Did you know that if everyone in London froze their bread to make toast, we could save 2, 600,000 slices from the bin every day? Yes, you read that right! Nearly 3 million of slices of bread are currently ending up in the bin every single day – and that’s in London alone!

We’re all wasting way too much food at the moment, even those of us who think we aren’t, but the good news, is that there are lots of small changes we can all make to reverse the mounting food waste trend. Here are some of our favourite food waste prevention tips to help you out:

Freeze half a loaf and when you fancy toast, take a couple of slices out and pop them straight from the freezer into the toaster. Tap the loaf on your kitchen counter before freezing, to separate the slices.

Once you’ve opened your bagged lettuce, place it in a tub with kitchen roll. It’ll stay fresh longer.

Don’t dismiss canned and frozen veg. It’s still packed with vitamins and will keep for ages – perfect for all of us with busy schedules.

Perk up celery by putting it in a cool glass of water in the fridge.

Did you know you can freeze eggs? Simply crack them into a bowl and separate the whites from the yolks to freeze separately, or whisk together.

Take a shelfie of your fridge before shopping to avoid doubling up on items.

 

Sustainable Food Fest Festivities

On 1 June 2018 we celebrated London’s rich, bountiful and diverse food culture with an event at Mercato Metropolitano. Chef Cyrus Todiwala (CBE, OBE) gave a cookery demonstration, using some of the top 10 foods we waste in the UK and was interviewed by the one and only Angellica Bell, winner of 2017 Celebrity Masterchef. Attendees had the opportunity to taste his creations, as well as sample dishes created from leftovers made by some of the stall holders at Mercato.

Watch London Live’s coverage of the event here