SABC is supporting the national Love food hate waste campaign as new research is published showing a staggering 4.4 million* whole apples are being thrown away untouched every day in the UK! According to the latest figures from WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) we bin nearly £3 billion worth of perfectly good fruit and vegetables each year.
The sad fact is that one in three bags of groceries ends up rotting in a landfill site. WRAP’s research shows the main reason why we throw so much out is because we buy too much and simply do not eat it. Another issue is that people are not storing fruit and vegetables in the best place once we bring it home from the shops.
For example, more than half of us choose to leave fruit out at room temperature, rather than keeping it cool. But WRAP’s new research shows that by simply storing most fresh fruit and vegetables inside the fridge, these foods stay fresh for much longer - sometimes by as much as a fortnight.
Dr Liz Goodwin, WRAP Chief Executive comments:
"These dramatic figures show that although we are keen to do the right thing, buying plenty of fruit and vegetables, the benefit is lost as much gets thrown out untouched. By following some simple tips from our www.lovefoodhatewaste.com website, we can all save money as well as helping the environment."
Cllr. Judith Williams, Portfolio holder for recycling comments:
"Cutting down on food waste is in everyone’s interest and this research shows that we can make a big difference by simply putting most fruit and veg in the fridge. When residents do have food waste then we would urge them to compost it at home. Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council is working with WRAP to enable the public to buy discounted home composting bins, visit our website www.shrewsbury.gov.uk for more info"
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