Here in Northern Ireland 80% of us recycle our food waste – pretty good going, though room for improvement! With that stat in mind, you might be surprised to hear that latest estimates show a whopping third of the average Northern Irish rubbish bin is still made up of food. And to make matters worse, most of the thrown-away food could have been eaten. That’s as bad for your wallet as it is for the environment, so in this article, we’ll look at the simple steps you can take to make sure food doesn’t go to waste.
Why tackle food waste?
Recycle Now research shows that we’re all still putting food in the rubbish bin from time to time, and this soon adds up. Not only does that equate to a huge amount of food waste, which contributes to climate change, but it also spells trouble for our finances.
To put it into perspective, in NI a household of four could save £80 per month or £1,000 a year just by using up all the food they buy! Items such as bananas, chicken, bread and potatoes are amongst the most wasted items. By throwing these away we are not only wasting money we are also damaging the planet. Think about cooking up some quick-fire easy recipes using these most wasted items. How about making a banana smoothie or chicken fajitas? You’ll find lots more inspiration for making the most of the food you buy over at Love Food Hate Waste.
But what about the food you can’t eat – the inedible bits of food you’ve already enjoyed, such as eggshells, banana skins or bones? If you thought recycling was just for your empty bottles and unwanted cardboard, think again! Food waste can be recycled too, and here in Northern Ireland most of us are lucky enough to have a food waste recycling collection direct from home. The result: it couldn’t be easier to recycle your food waste and reduce the harm it does to the planet!
The majority of food waste in Northern Ireland is collected together with your garden waste in the same outdoor bin. From there, a lot of it gets broken down and processed into compost and soil conditioner. In some areas, food waste goes to an anaerobic digestion plant to create energy to power our homes. Watch this YouTube animation to find out more about the different community projects your food waste could help power when you recycle it.
How to recycle food waste
So, we’ve covered the ‘why’ – what about the ‘how’? Two words: food caddy! Your food caddy is your secret weapon in the world of food waste recycling, so think of it as the only place for food waste. You can recycle even the smallest amounts in it – think things like vegetable peelings, banana peels, eggshells, chicken bones, tea bags and coffee grounds. If you don’t have a food caddy yet, simply go to your council’s website to find out how to get one.
Food caddies are really easy to use, so if you’ve not used one before, it’s a very straightforward habit to adopt. If you’re put off by worries about smells, spills, flies and mess, fear not – there’s a simple solution. Most food waste recyclers in Northern Ireland use a caddy liner, which keeps any ickiness contained. It’s best not to let it get too full, so empty it regularly – every few days should be plenty! Every few weeks, give it a wash in the kitchen sink with hot water and washing up liquid – you could even use hot water left over from boiling your kettle to help disinfect it even more thoroughly.
If you’d like to learn more about recycling in NI, whether food or anything else, there’s lots more advice and tips to be found on the NI Recycles website. Happy recycling!
