Newcross News Issue 10
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ECOWATCH | TAKING ACTION ON WASTE<br />
Taking action on waste:<br />
Our responsibility to help<br />
cut food waste in healthcare<br />
We know that in the Healthcare Sector food waste is<br />
a key issue that not only has an impact on finances,<br />
but the environment. Each year food waste alone<br />
represents a cost of £230 million – that includes food<br />
procurement, labour, utilities and waste management.<br />
This equates to a huge £1,900 per tonne.<br />
Did you know?<br />
In our sector, on an annual basis, it’s estimated in<br />
the UK that:<br />
Meals served account for 13% of all meals<br />
eaten out of home. That’s equivalent to<br />
1,047 million meals.<br />
It produces 170,300 tonnes of waste each year,<br />
including 121,000 tonnes of food waste.<br />
The average cost of avoidable food waste is<br />
22p per meal (Estimated Recycling Rates for<br />
UK Healthcare).<br />
Overall, 7% of all waste is recycled. This is made<br />
up of: 4% of food waste is composted or goes to<br />
anaerobic digestion (AD). 14% of packaging and<br />
other wastes are recycled.<br />
UK HEALTHCARE: The composition of food waste<br />
25%<br />
20%<br />
15%<br />
<strong>10</strong>%<br />
Why Take Action?<br />
Applying a cost to food waste demonstrates the true<br />
value of what is wasted and the potential savings that<br />
can be made. By taking a few simple steps to waste<br />
less and recycle more, we can all reap the financial as<br />
well as environmental benefits.<br />
Here are some helpful tips that can help reduce<br />
waste and save money for all:<br />
1. Buy little and often<br />
2. Buy local and seasonal food<br />
3. Plan ahead – write shopping lists<br />
and be prepared<br />
4. Don’t over-serve food – in other<br />
words, use smaller plates<br />
5. Freeze your leftovers<br />
6. Store food in the right place to<br />
ensure it keeps for longer<br />
7. Avoid clutter in your fridge – move<br />
older products to the front<br />
8. Keep track of what you throw away<br />
so you prevent doing it in the future<br />
Useful Links<br />
Information and practical advice on food waste<br />
recycling collections, including posters, bin<br />
labels and case studies:<br />
www.wrap.org.uk/recyclingfood<br />
5%<br />
0%<br />
Potato<br />
Bakery<br />
Pasta/Rice<br />
Fruit/Veg<br />
Meat/Fish<br />
Dairy/Eggs<br />
Whole servings<br />
Other<br />
Unavoidable<br />
food waste<br />
16 | newcrossnews | www.newcrosshealthcare.com<br />
Visit www.recyclenowpartners.org.uk to find lots of<br />
useful information about recycling.
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