Council asks for residents’ help in tackling the costly problem of food waste

It’s a priority for Buckinghamshire Council to take local action to reduce food waste, and to do this it’s asking local people to share their experience in an online survey of why almost a third of the food we buy never makes it to a plate. The results will be used to plan projects and positive campaigns which help local people reduce food waste.

Food waste is a serious issue - for the average family, wasted food costs £720 a year, at a time when the cost of living is increasing at a rate not seen for many years.

Nationally, 4.5 million tonnes of edible food is wasted every year. And globally, wasted food not only contributes to serious food scarcity, but plays a major part in causing the carbon emissions that are behind climate change.

That’s why Buckinghamshire Council is working hard to address the problem at a local level. To better do this, the Council’s waste team wants to find out more about the day-to-day reasons why food goes to waste, and they want to hear from you. The online survey just takes a few minutes at yourvoicebucks.citizenspace.com/communities/food-waste-survey-2022 and a completed survey means you get to enter a £250 prize draw!

Peter Strachan, Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment said: “Bucks residents are very good at recycling their food waste via their kerbside food waste caddy. However, most of us are recycling a lot of food that could have been eaten and enjoyed. To help the Council understand how and why this happens, we’d like people to answer a few questions about their day-to-day experience of buying and using food. This will help us find ways to support residents in reducing their food waste and realising the significant cost savings this can bring.

“In addition, the Council spends hundreds of thousands of pounds a year in recycling food waste – any savings that can be made by reducing the volume of food waste we collect means more money for the other essential services the Council provides.”