Wiganers urged to do their bit to help cut down on food waste

Household food waste has a huge impact on climate change and nationally more than 6.6m tonnes of food is wasted each year.

Wigan Council’s waste teams collect around 7,000 tonnes of food which has been recycled in the green bin.

However, it is estimated that a further 17,000 tonnes of food – which is around 3,000 times heavier than an elephant - is still being collected each year from black bins, meaning it cannot be recycled.

Coun Paul Prescott, the council’s cabinet portfolio holder for environment, said: “This Food Waste Action Week I’d like to thank all residents for the amazing work they are doing to recycle more and recycle right.

“This week and into the future, I think we can all challenge ourselves to be a little more food waste savvy.

“Whether that’s by meal planning or getting creative with recipes to use food which would usually go to waste, we can all reduce the amount of food waste we produce.”

This week the council has been sharing its top tips for reducing food waste on its social media channels.

Coun Prescott added: “When it’s too late to use food, making sure it’s recycled correctly this would have a hugely positive impact on our planet.

“If all waste food was correctly placed in the green bin, Wigan Council would save over £750,000 each year which could be reinvested to help make our borough even cleaner and greener.”

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