Tuesday 25 June 2013
Public Services is highlighting just how much food is currently going in the bin to help encourage islanders to reduce this waste.
The Department today (Tuesday 25 June) unveiled its latest campaign outside the Market, where it has installed stacks of tyres and a pile of old bin sacks to offer a visual reminder of how much food is currently wasted.
Last year, an estimated 4,500 tonnes was thrown away by local households. That is equivalent to around 165kg per home in Guernsey - or the weight of around 15 tyres.
It also accounts for more than a third of what goes into local bins. Based on an average of two black sacks a week, that would equate to around 30 bags a year for each household.
It is estimated that by reducing this waste, families could save as much as £600 a year on their food bills.
More information and helpful tips on how to do are displayed on three old fridges, which the Department has also installed in Market Square for the week.
It is estimated that around half of all food waste could have been eaten instead of ending up in the bin. The most common causes are too much being prepared for a meal, produce not being eaten the date on the packaging, and items becoming stale or overripe.
Public Services Minister Deputy Scott Ogier said the Department was keen to help islanders.
"Anyone who does the grocery shopping knows the money doesn't go as far as it used to. None of us like to see money wasted, but when we end up throwing away food that is exactly what we are doing. What we want to do is help people save," he said.
"As a society we're wasting food which has frequently clocked up a lot of air miles but just on a personal level we all want to save money where we can. That is where Love Food Hate Waste comes in."
Recycling Officer Tina Norman-Ross said there were lots of things islanders could do to cut out waste in the kitchen.
"Having a display like this in such a prominent place will hopefully draw people's attention to the problem. We can then provide lots of handy advice and tips, from making the most out of your freezer to portion sizes, shopping suggestions to reduce grocery bills, and hundreds of tasty ideas for leftovers," she said.
"The Love Food Hate Waste campaign has a website that provides all this information, and if islanders follow just some of this advice they can potentially save a lot of money."
The static display will be outside the Market until Sunday, as part of the Department's Waste Aware Week.
