While throwing away the odd squishy tomato or the leftovers from our plate might seem minor, food waste is a huge global issue that needs to be tackled. But the problem begins at home, with UK households being responsible for 60% of food waste and business and hospitality responsible for the remaining 40%.
AEG has conducted an extensive study into the UK’s food waste discovering which UK councils offer a food waste service as well as Brits attitudes and behaviours in tackling food waste in the home.
The most wasted foods in the UK
Of the 9.5 million tonnes of food wasted per year, 70% is still fit for human consumption. The most wasted foods are fresh foods as they’re not as commonly frozen which drastically reduces shelf-life.
A quarter (25%) of food waste is from vegetables and a further 22% is from fruits. Similarly, 17% is categorised as leafy greens and 23% from oven baked goods such as cakes, bread, and leftovers.
The average UK household discards 28.1kg of food waste each month, with 19.6kg of which still perfectly fit for human consumption.
The regions recycling food waste
Food recycling caddies are becoming far more popular in the UK. These are collected like regular bins from the council and then composted to reduce environmental impact of throwing food waste into landfill.
31 of the most populous UK cities currently offer this service. However, this amounts to just 59% of UK wide councils offering food recycling, with the remaining 41% not yet offering this service. Some of the councils not offering the service include major UK cities, such as Birmingham, Liverpool, and Leeds.
Several of these councils also revealed how many tonnes of food waste they recycle through the service.
| Council | Tonnes of Food Waste Recycled |
| Kent County Council | 36,000 |
| Belfast City Council | 30,252 |
| Cardiff City Council | 29,403 |
| Cambridge City Council | 10,565 |
| Bristol City Council | 10,000 |
| City of Edinburgh | 10,000 |
| Telford Council | 5,985 |
| Peterborough City Council | 4,000 |
| Portsmouth City Council | 3,700 |
| Gloucester City Council | 3,300 |
| Oxford City Council | 2,190 |
| Swindon Borough Council | 838 |
The amount of food waste, in tonnes, recycled annually per council.
Kent county came up-top with a total of 36,000 tonnes recycled. Likewise, Belfast City Council recycled 30,252 tonnes, Cardiff 29,403 tonnes and Cambridge 10,565 tonnes. Bristol and Edinburgh follow with 10,000, with Telford 5,985, then Peterborough 4,000.
However, for 47% of UK cities, food waste recycling caddies aren’t offered by the local council. This means nearly half of the UK’s recyclable food waste isn’t being recycled by local authorities.
AEG commented on the findings; “Food wastage is a complex issue that simply cannot disappear overnight. However, as can be seen in the findings reducing this level of waste really does begin at home.
“Correct food storage has never been more important as well as being resourceful with the food we buy. Everybody wants to get the most of each shop, so prepping beforehand with a list and meal plan for the week ahead is a great method to keep costs and wastage down.”
