Have yourself a waste-aware Christmas

4 Dec 2008

As preparations for Christmas get underway, Waste Awareness Wales is urging busy shoppers to be waste-aware over the festive season.

A third of the food we buy is thrown away, so Waste Awareness Wales is encouraging shoppers to plan every step of the way this Christmas to reduce the amount of food that ends up in landfill sites.

According to ‘Love Food Hate Waste’/ ‘Hoffi Bwyd Casáu Gwastraff’ campaign, Welsh shoppers bin around 330,000 tonnes of food every year, - that's the equivalent weight of almost 41,250 double-decker buses and is enough to fill over 36,000 waste collection vehicles!

Wasting food also costs the average household £420 a year so Waste Awareness Wales is encouraging shoppers to think ahead, store food efficiently and use recipes for leftover food to not only keep waste to a minimum but save some money too.

Councillor Aled Roberts, Chairperson of Waste Awareness Wales, said:

"This year people will be tightening their belts and so we have come up with some top tips for shoppers to help them avoid over-spending and ultimately reduce the amount of food sent to landfill sites.

"Forward planning is key. Before hitting the shops, check what food you already have in your kitchen and write a comprehensive list of the food you need to buy. Don’t be tempted to buy more than you need or be tempted by offers that you realistically will not get through.

"An easy way to cut down on waste is by measuring portion sizes.  Also try and select products that have the least packaging like buying loose fruit and vegetables.  Finally, after your Christmas dinner, don’t throw your leftovers away. Instead think of all the different meals you could make by using your leftovers."

Waste Awareness Wales’ tips for reducing food waste this Christmas

Thinking ahead:

• Put a list together before you head to the shops – this can save time and money;
  
• Check what’s in your cupboard, fridge or freezer before you shop;
  
• Keep food "staples" in the cupboard from which you can make a quick meal;
  
• Shop with meals in mind and be realistic about what you’ll eat;
  
• Also, when doing your Christmas shopping, remember to take your reusable cloth bags or ‘bags for life.’
  

Storage tips:

• Make sure you know what needs eating first and familiarise yourself on what the different date labels (e.g. use by, best before) mean;
• If you’ve got food such as bread you know you won’t be eating immediately, try freezing it;
  
• Make good use of the fridge - for example, most ripe fruit can be kept in the fridge to make it last longer;
  
• Keep your fridge temperature between 1-5ºC – this helps you get the best from your food;
  
• Soft carrots or cucumber can be sat in water and chilled to give them their bite back.

Portioning:

• Portion control will not only save on the pennies but will also ensure that you’re not left with hundreds of untouched sprouts. As a rough guide, a portion of vegetables should equate to a handful per head. However at Christmas you may be serving many types of vegetables in one meal, so the individual portion sizes may need to be smaller;
  
• When cooking food such as pasta or rice, take a few moments to measure food out so you get the right portion size per person.  As a general guide, an adult portion of uncooked rice is approximately 5 tablespoons (75ml).  Portion size guides are normally provided on the packets.

Love your leftovers:

• Make the most of your Christmas leftovers – not only is leftover turkey great for making sandwiches, salad and pies, but leftover vegetables can be used in soups or curries.  There are many recipe available online - visit www.lovefoodhatewaste.com for lots of recipe ideas for leftovers;
  
• For a sweet treat, create your very own ice-cream using leftover Christmas pudding;
  
• Finally freezing food will make many items lasts longer. 

Home composting:

• Even food that never made it to the table can avoid the bin. Vegetable peelings, orange rinds – even tea bags and eggshells – can all be composted at home. Christmas flowers can also go into your home composting bin.