The Scottish government has unveiled plans to help reduce food waste by one third by 2025.
While 80% of Scottish households have access to food recycling facilities, only 55% say they are recycling their food waste.
An estimated £1.1bn of food is thrown away in Scotland each year. This amounts to 600,000 tonnes of food going in the bin.
The Scottish government and Zero Waste Scotland yesterday launched the Food Waste Reduction Action Plan which aims to tackle wastage and recycle it to produce green energy.
Holyrood also announced a new campaign, ‘Food Gone Bad’, which showcases easy steps people can take to reduce their food waste and recycle unavoidable food waste like banana skins, egg shells and coffee grounds.
When food waste is recycled in an Anaerobic Digestion facility, it can be converted into green energy that could go back into the national grid.
Zero Waste Scotland has calculated that just one household’s weekly food waste could be enough to power 35 episodes of Games of Thrones on a TV.
‘Food Waste is a global issue with an estimated 1.3 billion tonnes wasted every year,’ said environment secretary Roseanna Cunningham.
‘Whilst some food waste is unavoidable, it is important that the people of Scotland understand how they can make a positive impact on their environment by reducing and recycling unpreventable food waste.
‘The Food Waste Reduction Action Plan advises households and businesses on the simple steps we can all take to reduce food waste, while the new food waste campaign drives home the message that unavoidable food waste should be recycled.’
The CEO of Zero Waste Scotland, Iain Gulland, commented: ‘Reducing Scotland’s food waste by a third would benefit the environment as much as taking almost one in every five cars off the road.
‘Everyone can play a part in reducing Scotland’s food waste. Scotland’s ambitious and pioneering approach to tackling food waste will help experts and leaders address this global problem.
‘We want to make people aware of the real damage food waste is doing so they can make an informed choice to help reduce and recycle their food and fight climate change.’
