Stop the waste!

Did you know the average Irish household could be wasting food worth up to €1,000 a year? Here’s how to save both money and the environment

Almost 40% of household waste that goes to Irish land ll every week is organic waste, and the majority of this organic waste is food. It is true, while we can and must work to reduce our food waste signi cantly, we cannot completely eliminate it. Vegetable peelings and bones, for example, will always be part of our food waste. Over purchased amounts of fruit and other perishable goods often end up in waste, while chocolate and sweets rarely do.

So how do we dispose of food waste correctly and why should we even bother? The reality is that the incorrect disposal of food waste can increase greenhouse gas emissions and contribute negatively to climate change. Disposing of food waste correctly contributes to the circular economy and creates more green jobs in Ireland.

The good news is that disposing of food waste in Ireland has become easier as Irish households are now being provided with a food waste collection service by their waste collectors. If you live in an area with more than 500 people, you are automatically entitled to a food waste collection.

The household food waste collected at the kerbside is sent for processing to either a compost site or an anaerobic digester in Ireland. At composting sites, household food waste is converted into high quality compost and then used in agriculture and landscaping. If processed at an anaerobic digester, food waste is converted into energy, thereby helping the environment and the economy.

If you don’t have this kerbside service and you want to check if you are entitled to it, you can search mywaste.ie, Ireland’s o cial guide to managing waste.

The process of disposing of your food waste correctly is straightforward, particularly if you follow these simple tips:

✔ Always remove food from packaging when you are separating it for disposal. Plastic, cardboard, cans and glass should never be placed in your food waste bin. ✔ All food waste – cooked and raw – is suitable for disposal in your food waste bin. ✔ Kitchen roll and tissue paper soiled with food can also be placed in the food waste bin. ✔ A kitchen caddy or an old plastic or metal container is useful for separating food waste. ✔ Line your caddy with a fully compostable liner (Makes sure its certi ed to EN 13432 standard). ✔ Place a small amount of newspaper at the bottom of the caddy to help keep it dry. ✔ If you are particularly concerned about smell, sprinkle the bottom of the bin and caddy with bicarbonate of soda as it absorbs odours. ✔ Make life easier by using a spatula for plate scrapings or removing foods like coleslaw from packaging.

Once you have developed a habit of separating out food waste, you will probably notice a pattern arise of the types of food you commonly waste. Many of us nd that we tend to waste the same foods regularly – lots of soft fruit and vegetables for example but never chocolate! There are lots of reasons why we waste food; it might be because we buy too much of perishable items like bread, fruit and vegetables and they spoil before we can eat them. Or we may serve too much food and it then becomes waste. It’s estimated that the average Irish household wastes up to 114kg of food waste every year, which can cost anywhere between €400 and €1,000.

Preventing food waste is a top environmental action; it saves you money and helps the environment. When we have food waste, it is equally important to separate it from other waste so that it can be treated to make compost or used in anaerobic digestion, thereby preventing further negative e ects on climate change and also helping the circular economy.

To nd out more information on food waste management and to have all your waste related questions answered, go to mywaste.ie