The food we don't eat has a huge impact on our environment.

The average family with children loses £680 a year on food that ends up in the rubbish bin! In Brighton & Hove, our food waste rates are even higher, with food comprising 35% of the domestic waste collected. As well as being a waste of money, food waste gets sent to a landfill where it is a major contributor to our greenhouse gas emissions.

A small portion of our food waste is unavoidable, such as chicken bones, egg shells and vegetable peelings, yet most of our domestic food waste is avoidable - food which could have been eaten. Of this avoidable waste, 40% is fresh fruit & veg, whilst bread, dairy, rice and pasta make up most of the remaining 60%.

Don't believe you throw away that much food?

Research shows that everyone throws away more than they think they do. Some of the common reasons are buying too much in the first place, not storing things properly, not eating things in time and cooking too much. Due to food waste having such a high financial and environmental burden on the city, the Food Partnership is working with the Brighton & Hove City Council on a campaign to reduce the amount of food that goes in the bin.

We are promoting the minimisation of food waste through workshops and community events. We are also aiming to increase composting rates, as uncooked fruit and vegetable waste can be made into useful compost rather than rotting in a landfill.