Food waste has been in the news for a number of years and we’ve seen many initiatives to help cut down the huge amount that we throw away. In the UK, the ‘Love Food Hate Waste’ campaign, launched in 2007, encourages consumers to shop and cook sensibly. According to Tristram Stuart in his recently published book Waste: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal, whilst retailers and manufacturers waste millions of tonnes of food every year, consumers waste a further 4.1 million tonnes. Last month Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, launched an initiative to convert London’s food waste into eco-fuel, and just recently North Yorkshire County Council approved a project to create a facility to turn kitchen left-overs into green energy. Whilst we can all do our bit to stop food waste and support local initiatives, some people worry about what local councils might do to help combat the problem. It’s not that long ago since we heard that some councils had dust carts fitted with mini computers to record recycling offences. Now, recent news suggests that almost 100 councils have admitted to secretly taking rubbish and examining it, to see how much is not being recycled. Some councils said that, although the searches were undertaken covertly, they only sought to accurately record people’s habits to help plans with waste collection. Whilst I can see the benefit of separate food waste collection I pity any council employee tasked with the job of sifting through our food waste to see what could have been composted.
