Take part in North Herts 'Food Waste Challenge'

Do you and your family find yourself throwing away a lot of food?  Are your leftovers likely to end up lurking in your bin?  Is the contents of your fridge more likely to end up in a rubbish truck than on the table?  If so, North Herts District Council (NHDC) wants to hear from you.

NHDC's waste team are inviting two North Herts households to volunteer for their 'Food Waste Challenge', with the chosen households starting the two-week trial on 17 October.

Those taking part will be asked to log all their food and drink waste during the first week, and note why it is being thrown away. At the end of the week the food waste will be weighed and assessed by a recycling expert who will give advice on how the waste could have been avoided – for example, through cooking less or freezing leftovers to use again later.

The second week is where the challenge really begins as the households, armed with the new skills they have learnt, try to dramatically reduce their food waste.

Ideally the participating households will have three or more family members or be single person households to make it representative of 'typical' households in North Herts.   As a thank you for taking part in the challenge, the households will be offered either an organic vegetable box delivery for six months worth around £100 or £100 of supermarket vouchers as well as a home composter worth around £20.

The challenge aims to raise awareness of how simple changes to behaviour and lifestyle can reduce food waste and save money, both for the householder's weekly shop and in waste disposal charges, all the while reducing the impact on the environment.  It will also provide the Council with valuable data about the food waste behaviour of households in North Herts.  If the 'Food Waste Challenge' proves to be a success, a larger scale challenge will be replicated in 2012.

Cllr Peter Burt, NHDC's portfolio holder for waste recycling and the environment said: "This is a fun and exciting challenge that will involve the whole family, but it also has an important underlying message about how simple changes in our behaviour, like only cooking the amount of food we need, can reduce our impact on the environment and save money at the same time."

To apply to take part in the challenge contact Laura Lack, NHDC's Waste Awareness Officer on 01462 474 541.