What to do with my food waste

Every household in Ireland is responsible for 117kgs of food waste per year.

That’s between €400 and €1,000 per household per year thrown into the bin.

And it’s not just a waste of money, it’s also costing the earth.  Food waste sent to landfill does not harmlessly break down but instead releases methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

Where possible we should prevent food waste in the first instance. Top tips to prevent food waste include checking your store cupboard before you shop, have a list, only buy what you need and don’t be tempted by special offers on perishable foods.

Do you know that:

60% is Avoidable food waste such as Plate scrapings, leftovers, gone off fruit and veg and passed its date perishables. We can control this waste easily by serving smaller portion sizes at meals times and by shopping smarter

20 % is Potentially Avoidable food waste –  things like bread crusts, potato skins. This waste could be used in another way; crusts could be made into bread crumbs and then frozen until you need them.

20% is Unavoidable food waste – such as banana skins and chicken bones

The good news is food waste doesn’t have to end up in a landfill. It can be recycled by using your food waste recycling bin (Brown Bin).

Households can simply separate cooked and raw food and leave the bin out as part of your normal kerbside waste collection so it can be sent to a composting site or to an anaerobic digestion plant to make green energy.

Home composting is also an option. Click here for additional information on how to make compost at home.

Source: Mywaste.ie