Find out how you can limit your food waste to help protect the planet

Food for thought… the impact of food waste on the planet is speeding up the process of climate change as we know it.

On average, UK households can waste up to 4.5 million tonnes of food each year.

Buzz reporter, Tilly Lewis spoke to Karen Colcomb, who is a volunteer at the Forest Row Community Centre in East Sussex.

Karen is passionate about not wasting food, and works with her local community centre to donate unwanted food to those who need it.

Read below for her tips on limiting your food waste.

Karen’s tips on reducing food waste:

• Eat seasonally.
• Meal plan and use a shopping list.
• Freeze leftovers or batch cook and freeze for another meal.
• Compost or use a bokashi bin this takes cooked food waste as well as veg waste.
• Check use by and best before dates when you buy. Best before is only a guide and doesn’t mean it has to be binned
• Freeze anything that is left or make into soups and sauces
• Make jam or chutney
• Where you can donate unwanted food:

“The community fridge takes donations of food on its last dates that would normally go to landfill and offers it to the local community via a donation. At present, the one I volunteer for is using these donations for vulnerable people so acting a bit more like a foodbank. Last autumn we also had local farms donate excess crops and local residents donate from their orchards apples and pairs. It is run by volunteers who collect from supermarkets and others who open at set times for people to come and use what is there.”

Want to help?

Head to: hubbub.org.uk  to find out more ways you can help reduce your consumption impact and create a positive environmental change.

And head to the Forestrow Community Fridge Facebook page to donate food.