Waste minimisation refers to the efforts we should all make to minimise waste, in other words to make sure we don’t create it in the first place.
This includes refraining from buying goods that are overly packaged and not buying more food than we need, creating leftover food that goes to landfill.
Food is a major cause of waste. Throwing away food costs the average UK family £420 per year. It is estimated that one in every three bags of shopping ends up in landfill.
Tips for reducing waste include:
- Plan meals by make a shopping list so you don’t buy too much by being aware of what you already have at home
- Stick to your shopping list and don’t be unnecessarily tempted by bogofs and three-for-twos
- When buying food and drink, keep in mind your local recycling facilities, like avoiding food in plastics that can’t go into your blue recycling bin, such as meat trays
- Save more money by taking your own shopping bags
- Leftover food can be transformed into exciting meals. For ideas try www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/recipes
- Buy food and other goods with the minimum packaging or grow some of your own fruit and vegetables, or buy from local farm shops and farmers markets
- If you must throw away an item check if it can be recycled through the East Riding’s blue bin scheme, local bring sites or at the household waste recycling sites
- If you are taking material to a recycling centre by car, don't make it a special journey: double it up with another errand such as the grocery shopping
- Almost a third of what we throw away is organic, such as vegetable peelings and garden rubbish. Home composting allows you to make compost, which you can use to grow your own food
- Try to buy products made from recycled materials, such as bin bags and toilet rolls. The more demand there is for recycled products, the more manufacturers are likely to produce.
For more smart shopping tips, click on the smart shopping guide link below:
View smart shoppers guide.
