Food and garden waste

Why it is so important to reduce food waste

Every year in the UK, we throw away nearly 7 million tonnes of edible food.

30% of global greenhouse gases come from producing food. You can help reduce our impact on climate change by avoiding food waste wherever possible, then composting at home or recycling anything left over.

Oxfordshire councils support the national Love Food Hate Waste campaign and promote key messages via social media channels and publications.

There are several benefits to using up the last piece of broccoli, a few salad leaves, potatoes or leftover food.

Save resources

Food uses up the world's resources, from growing, harvesting and transporting it. Buying what you need and eating what you buy helps to minimise our environmental impact and ensure the energy it has used doesn't go to waste.

Save money

Given the current cost-of-living crisis, we are all looking for ways to save money. Did you know the average family in Oxfordshire throws away around £720 worth of edible food each year? Meal planning allows you to organise and buy just what you need for the week, thus preventing food and money from being wasted.

Save time

Batch cooking, freezing meals and using up leftovers can save us time or be helpful if you don't feel like cooking.

A chance to try a new recipe

Repurposing leftovers or ingredients can encourage us to be more creative or inventive when we're cooking.

How you can reduce food waste

At home

In the UK, the top wasted foods include:

• whole potatoes
• bread
• milk
• bananas
• salad 

Get inspiration and recipes for using up leftovers on these websites:

• Big Oven
• Love Food Hate Waste
• BBC Good Food

Too Good To Go is an app for helping supermarkets and businesses use up leftovers. Olio is a food sharing app that can help prevent food waste in your community

Follow Oxfordshire Recycles on Facebook or Twitter for practical tips, hacks and recipes to help you make your food go further and get the most out of your money.

Make better use of your fridge

Your fridge plays a big part in keeping food fresher for longer. It all starts with checking the temperature and turning it down—it should be set below 5ºC. Learn more at #ChillTheFridgeOut.

Out and about

Did you know that the waste charity WRAP estimates that 15% of meals ordered in cafes and restaurants go to waste—mostly because of portion size? When eating out, if you're unable to finish your meal, ask to take the food home with you. Most places will pop it in a box for you to take home so you can finish it off when you have room.

Food is not rubbish

Find out more about reducing waste by downloading our ‘Food’s not rubbish’ leaflet (pdf format)

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• freeze food before it reaches its use by or best before date, and keep food fresher for longer by setting the temperature between 2 and 5 degrees C. Think of it as pressing the pause button on your food. 
• make the most of your food by freezing food you don't have the time to eat before the date on the label
• make the most of your fridge by setting your fridge to between 3 and 5 degrees to help things stay fresher for longer
• save money by simply using up what you have in the fridge, loving your leftovers and growing your own
• produce compost at home

Take action on food waste

To help people take action on food waste locally, we fund the Replenish Project, a network of trained volunteers who serve as Food Waste advisors.

Food waste advisors can:

• attend events
• set up projects
• work with local community groups 
• work with friends and neighbours

If you'd like to join the project, sign up for their newsletter or would like a Food Waste advisor to attend your event, please contact the Replenish Project.

Home composting

We all produce some food waste that can't be avoided, like banana skins, tea bags, and vegetable peelings. Many of us also have gardens, where we create grass cuttings, sticks and leaves throughout the year. A home compost bin is the best way to recycle certain food waste with garden waste to generate free, high-quality compost for your garden. 

Buy a home compost bin

You can buy a home compost bin through our partners Getcomposting from £31 (plus delivery charge). Buy two 220-litre or 330-litre compost bins, and you'll get the second half-price. Call 0844 571 4444 quoting reference OXF12L.

Make your compost bin

To save money, you could build your compost bin from wood offcuts or other surplus materials. 

Learn how to build a compost bin from pallets on the Replenish Project website. Oxford Wood Recycling in Abingdon has a good range of used wood suitable for home projects. You could also check Freegle or Gumtree to see if anyone is selling or giving away an unwanted compost bin.

Food waste you cannot home compost

Some food waste, such as dairy, meat, and fish, cannot be safely composted at home but can be accepted in kerbside collections provided by your district council. Visit the Replenish Project for more information on home composting.

Composting volunteers

The Replenish Project trains volunteer composting advisors to help people start composting at home and support those who already do so. Composting advisors attend events and work with local groups such as schools and gardening clubs, as well as friends and neighbours—wherever they feel they can help.

Contact the Replenish Project if you'd like to join the project or would like a composting advisor to attend your event.

Food waste collection

Recycling food waste reduces your carbon footprint, saves the council money on mixed waste disposal, and generates green electricity and fertiliser used on farmland across Oxfordshire.

Every household in Oxfordshire receives a food waste collection from their district council. 

Watch our film to learn about food waste collections

How food waste is recycled

Watch our film to find out how your food waste is recycled

Anaerobic digestion (AD)

Severn Trent Green Power operates two Anaerobic Digestion plants in Oxfordshire.

Separately collected food waste is processed in a series of large sealed vats, or 'digestors', where it is heated and stirred for 90 days. This process releases methane and converts the food waste to a valuable fertiliser, which is pasteurised and stored on-site for up to six months and then sold to the farming industry.

The methane gas produced by the process is piped to an on-site engine to generate electricity which is fed into the National Grid.

The AD plant at Cassington accepts food waste from West Oxfordshire and Oxford. The AD plant at Wallingford accepts food waste from South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse.

The two plants we use in Oxfordshire generate enough electricity to power around 9,000 homes - equivalent to a town the size of Grove.

Recycle your garden waste

Recycling garden waste reduces your carbon footprint and produces fertiliser that is used on farmland across Oxfordshire.

If you can't compost your garden waste at home, your district council can collect it, or you can take it to a waste recycling centre.

Recycle your garden waste at the kerbside

You have to request and pay for a garden waste collection from your district council.

Recycle your garden waste at your local recycling centre

All of the recycling centres in Oxfordshire accept garden waste for free.

Find your nearest recycling centre and check the site rules before visiting. You may require a permit if you have a commercial-type vehicle or trailer.  

How garden waste is recycled

Severn Trent Green Power (STGP) operates four sites in Oxfordshire that compost garden waste collected from the kerbside or taken to a recycling centre. The compost is used as a soil conditioner at local farms and is sold in large bulk quantities only. Contact STGP for details.

Watch our film to find out how your garden waste is recycled