Food Waste Action Week is being supported across Greater Manchester this week.

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is supporting the UK’s third installment of the awareness week between March 6 and 12.

Led by Love Food Hate Waste, the customer-facing brand of the UK’s leading sustainability charity WRAP, It will demonstrate how valuable food is in our lives and how using up everything we buy saves money and the planet. 

The week aims to increase residents’ confidence in using up leftovers by promoting a range of skills that can be easily adopted but potentially have the greatest impact on reducing food waste in the home.

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According to WRAP, we throw away 6.6m tonnes of household food waste a year in the UK. This food waste is responsible for nearly 25m tonnes of CO2 emissions, equivalent to 5.4 per cent of the UK’s territorial emissions.

The majority, 4.5m tonnes, is food that could have been eaten and is worth approximately £14bn, which is equivalent to £60 a month an average family with two children.

Council leader, Cllr Martyn Cox, who is also GMCA lead for the green city region and waste and recycling, said: “We are proud to be supporting the third national Food Waste Action Week with the local authorities across the city-region. 

“Tackling the impact of climate change is still our top priority in Greater Manchester as we look to hit our target of net zero carbon by 2038.

“Wasted food has a huge impact on climate change, from the release of greenhouse gases to the waste of land, water, and energy.

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“With over 2.8 million residents living across the city-region, we’re urging everyone to play their part by taking simple steps to help reduce the amount of food we throw away. 

“Wasting food also wastes money.

"Throwing away costs the average family more than £700 a year.

"That’s why our food waste campaign Buy Keep Eat Repeat has been helping residents to reduce food waste and save money by suggesting small changes to the way we shop, and how we store and prepare food.” 

GMCA will be supporting Food Waste Action Week across social media, print, and digital advertising, and on the Recycle for Greater Manchester website.

The combined authority will be sharing tips and guides on how to store food properly and how to make the most of leftovers by linking the week to the ongoing campaign Buy Keep Eat Repeat to tackle food waste.

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GMCA will also be working with councils across the city-region to raise awareness of the week with residents and encourage them to get involved.

There will also be two special drop-ins for residents in Greater Manchester during Food Waste Action Week.