Take the love food, hate waste challenge

This November will see the return of Dacorum Borough Councils’ annual Love Food, Hate Waste Challenge.

UK households throw out 4.5 million tonnes of edible food each year. This wasted food adds up, costing the average family around £60 a month.

The free food waste challenge is an opportunity to learn how to save a little extra money in the lead up to the holiday season. Whether you’re a food waster or a food saviour, all Dacorum residents are encouraged to sign up to the challenge and see how much more you could save.

The challenge will help you find different ways to cut down on food waste throughout your daily routine. Once registered, you’ll be asked to fill out a quick before survey. During the campaign, participants will keep a food waste diary complemented by regular emails with useful tips and actions, as well as a free food waste tool kit. When the challenge ends, the council will send a follow-up after survey and participants that complete the challenge and both surveys will be automatically entered into a prize-draw to win a new blender.

Last year’s challenge had over 100 participants saving an average of £27 over the month, with two people saving £100. Almost everyone that took part expected to save more money going forward as they continued implementing what they had learned in their daily lives.

The UK’s food production system is responsible for roughly 19 per cent of the national greenhouse gas emissions, directly contributing to climate change. The food on our plates may have been grown from the farm down the road or a country across the globe – however wherever your food comes from, important resources such as water and fuel are required in their production. You can help reduce your environmental impact by having a more thoughtful connection with the food in your home.

The November food waste challenge comes at a crucial time for residents and the environment. The charity, Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), reported that during the spring lockdown household food waste across the UK went down as more people stayed in and cooked for themselves. Unfortunately, as lockdown eased and people began to dine out again the levels of food waste started to jump back up. Throwing out this food not only wastes money but also the emissions produced from the ‘food miles’, contributing to climate change. Did you know that up to 90% of fruit and 50 per cent of vegetables in the UK are imported from other countries?

The free Love Food, Hate Waste Challenge will run from Monday 2 November to Sunday 29 November 2020.

To register, email recycle@dacorum.gov.uk with your full name and address by Sunday 1 November 2020.

You can find more information about the challenge on the council’s Love Food, Hate Waste page.