Call to cut down on food waste

Manchester City Council recycling officers are encouraging residents to cut down on the amount of food they throw away.

The campaign comes as it is revealed that reducing the UK's food waste would slash greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of taking a fifth of cars off the country's roads.

Experts from the Waste Action Resource Programme (WRAP) say around 20 per cent of climate change emissions come from producing, transporting and storing food.

However, the organisation says a third of the food bought in Britain is now thrown away, and that stopping this waste would have the same impact on CO2 emissions as taking one in five cars off UK roads.

Figures from WRAP also reveal the average family throws away £610 of food each year, adding up to £10 billion of waste across the country - or enough to fill Wembley Stadium eight times over.

Residents are being urged to follow simple guidelines such as only buying the food they need, keeping an eye on best before dates and buying food containers to keep leftovers in the fridge or freezer. Recipes for making dishes from leftovers can also be found at www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/recipes.

Councillor Neil Swannick, Executive Member for the Environment, said: "The amount of food which is thrown away in the UK each year is a serious issue as it's a major contributor to the production of greenhouse gases,

"The City Council is asking people to do what they can to avoid discarding food unnecessarily. By following a few simple steps Manchester residents can make a real difference."

Manchester City Council launches Challenge Manchester - 100 Days to a cleaner, greener city 2008 on February 14 2008 at Manchester Town Hall.

The campaign will run until 24 May 2008, featuring 100 days of intense activity all over Manchester with the first 50 days focussing on green issues - primarily waste minimisation, recycling and climate change - and the next 50 days focussing on community clean-ups, local environmental improvements and planting schemes.

The council will also be asking residents and businesses about what they want the council to do to help them minimise waste and recycle more.

Challenge Manchester began in 2004 with "Challenge Manchester: 100 Days to a Clean City", and in its fifth successful year the campaign returns to its core aim to "clean up" the city.

More information about Challenge Manchester and how you can participate appears on our website www.challengemanchester.co.uk. You can also e-mail campaigns.team@notes.manchester.gov.uk. or telephone 0161 954 9000.

Media contact:

Conrad Astley, tel: 161 234 4027.