Measure food waste to stop it
During their busy lives, people don’t always give much thought to the expiry dates on the food in their fridges and cupboards. This leads to a lot of food being forgotten about and ending up in the bin. However, a recent study shows that being aware of what you throw away can help you be less wasteful.
Researchers measured food waste from 154 households across the UK. Half of these households were asked to list the fruits and vegetables they had bought and when they had to be used by. The households stuck this list on the fridge and received a text message every day reminding them to check it and add any newly bought fruit and veg. The other half did not have to make a list and did not receive reminders. Over a six-week period, all the households were asked to measure their food waste at the end of each week.
The researchers were surprised to find that making lists and getting texts made little difference to the amount wasted. However, across all the households involved in the study, there was an average reduction in food waste by 108 grams a week.
The researchers kept monitoring the households for six months, and found that the participants continued to waste less food. The team believe this shows that just measuring food waste encourages people to pay closer attention to it and throw less away.
On 21 April, a man in Oregon took the first photo of a blue rock thrush in the US, where the birds are not usually found. Michael Sanchez thought it was a blackbird but then noticed it was blue and brown. Birdwatchers on social media later identified it. Days later, the species was spotted again near San Francisco.
LIFESPAN: Up to 10 years.
HABITAT: Usually in southern Europe, Africa and Asia, on rocky beaches, cliffs and mountains.
SIZE: 21 to 23 centimetres long.
DIET: Berries, insects, seeds, snails, spiders and worms. Sometimes lizards, mice and small reptiles.
FUN FACT: Some blue rock thrushes migrate, and when they do they only fly at night in groups of up to four birds.
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