Reducing food waste: why it starts in the home

The article from Catherine Pendreigh at Zero Waste Scotland highlights the significant issue of food waste in Scotland, outlining its environmental impact and the financial benefits of reducing waste for households and local government. She emphasises the role of local councils in promoting sustainable practices and the importance of community engagement in tackling food waste to support a circular economy.

In Scotland, we estimate that 1.038 million tonnes of food waste was disposed of in 2021, with over half (59%) coming from households. This equates to an unbelievable 189kg per person, per year and an approximate 6% of Scotland’s total carbon footprint.

Changing the cycle

The scale of the problem cannot be underestimated, and the local government sector, who are on the ground every day, dealing with every aspect of household waste removal, see this firsthand. When it comes to protecting the environment, everyone wants to do their bit and evidently, everyone needs to if we’re going to make an impact on those kinds of figures. The challenge, however, is in converting that intention into action – especially at a time when lifestyles have never been busier, and costs are high.

For ten years now, our team at Zero Waste Scotland has been seeking to help everyone in Scotland better understand how our lifestyles can impact the country and the wider world. We are striving to rewire Scotland’s economy, and we’re now the country’s circular economy public body. As we look to the future in our 2024-2030 corporate plan, we echo one strong belief: ‘We can all do more to consume less.’ But we’ve all got to be part of the national – and international – rewiring needed to use less again, and again, and again.

That’s why we’ve developed a new bitesize course to help reduce food waste at home. We want to help councils get ahead when it comes to household food waste reduction by giving our learners a comprehensive understanding of food waste, why it matters, and practical actions that we can all take at home to tackle it, in as little as 15 minutes.

The future of food waste

Food waste is a major problem—not just in Scotland but worldwide. In fact, a third of all food produced globally is thrown away, while food production and consumption account for around a third of global greenhouse gas emissions. These are scary figures, but they illustrate just how impactful tackling food waste can be in reducing our contribution to climate change and other forms of environmental destruction. Councils and other public-facing bodies have a huge role to play in communicating food waste reduction to residents.

The good news is, it’s something people are open to. In fact, tackling food waste is one of the most common things people in Scotland say they do out of concern for the environment.

Reducing food waste has major benefits for individuals and families too. It’s estimated that UK households could get 2.5 days a year back by making the most of the food that they buy, while the average Scottish household stands to save £470 a year by not wasting food. That saving increases to around £700 a year for a family of four.

The role of councils in promoting food waste reduction over and above simply recycling will only become more important as the policy landscape evolves. Local authorities will have a key role in transforming Scotland’s food system under the Good Food Nation Act 2022, and while a national plan is still to be finalised in Parliament, the Act itself and draft plan suggest food waste reduction will feature prominently. What’s more, with a ban on biodegradable municipal waste going to landfills due to begin in Scotland on 31st December 2025, the need to focus interventions higher up the waste hierarchy and prevent food from becoming ‘waste’ in the first place will become even more acute.

fresh vegetables in eco cotton bags on table in the kitchen. lettuce, corn, potatoes, apricots, bananas, rucola, mushrooms from market. zero waste shopping concept. ban plastic

What are the benefits for local government?

Local government is currently in a very difficult situation. Councils are worried about declining service provisions and risks to vulnerable communities. As LGIU reported in their recent State of Local Government Finance report, “Close to three-quarters of all councils believe that at some point in the next five years, there is a risk they will be unable to balance their budgets.”

However, environmental pressures still loom, and proactively responding to these existential threats is essential for all. The Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012 require councils to collect key recyclable materials, including food waste, although it is crucial to drive material further up the waste hierarchy towards prevention. So, at a time when council budgets are stretched, helping residents to reduce waste to a minimum has the potential to save councils money and give them greater surety over waste and recycling budgets going forward.

The opportunity is particularly prominent when it comes to food waste:

• We know that over two-thirds of food thrown away from Scottish homes could have been avoided if we had planned, stored, and managed it better.
• What’s more, a significant proportion of food waste continues to be disposed of from homes as residual waste, with food accounting for more than 30% of the contents of the average Scottish general waste bin.

That’s why guiding service users to understand food waste is a great way for councils to make their budgets go further while meeting their net zero objectives, as well as contributing to national net zero and circular economy plans, too.

What can you do?

The size and scale of environmental problems can sometimes feel too overwhelming to even know where to begin, but everyone starting small is all that’s needed to move the dial in the right direction. Our ‘Reducing Food Waste at Home’ bitesize course is available for people in Scotland and beyond. It will give learners the knowledge and skills they need to tackle food waste effectively in a concise way.

Can you help us spread the word?

We want to use the course as a way to help as many people, and we welcome any support local authorities, representative bodies, community groups, and others can provide to help us spread the word. Hopefully, realising the benefits of doing so for themselves, in turn. The course is a free-to-access, off-the-shelf tool that can help your service users upskill on food waste reduction.

Perhaps your organisation could signpost the course via your waste services webpage or bin collection app? It might also add value to your newsletters. You might even consider embedding it as a staff training module. We also have a range of designed assets available to help partners and stakeholders communicate the course digitally, from suggested social media copy to graphics and video. These are free to download from the Zero Waste Scotland website.

Let’s make the most of the food we love and reduce waste together.

To find out more about the Reducing Food Waste at Home bitesize course, share your plans, or to explore food waste reduction support for local authorities, email food.drink@zerowastescotland.org.uk

About Zero Waste Scotland: We’re Scotland’s circular economy public body, working with government, business, and communities to rewire the economy from our current “take, make, waste” model to one where we make the most of the materials we have. A zero waste, circular economy is the right choice – for people, planet and prosperity.