What to do with food waste | MyWaste Ireland My Waste
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what to do with my food waste

Every household in Ireland is responsible for 117kgs of food waste per year.

That’s between €400 and €1,000 per household per year thrown into the bin.  

And it’s not just a waste of money, it’s also costing the earth.  Food waste sent to landfill does not harmlessly break down but instead releases methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

Where possible we should prevent food waste in the first instance. Top tips to prevent food waste include checking your store cupboard before you shop, have a list, only buy what you need and don't be tempted by special offers on perishable foods.

Do you know that:

  • 60% is Avoidable food waste such Plate scrapings, leftovers, gone off fruit and veg and passed its date perishables. We can control this waste easily by serving smaller portion sizes at meals times and by shopping smarter
  • 20 % is Potentially Avoidable food waste –  things like bread crusts, potato skins. This waste could be used in another way; crusts could be made into bread crumbs and then frozen until you need them.
  • 20% is Unavoidable food waste – such as banana skins and chicken bones

The good news is food waste doesn’t have to end up in landfill. It can be recycled by using your food waste recycling bin. All households living in a population agglomeration >500 people are entitled to a Food Waste Recycling service from their waste collector.

Households with a kerbside collection for food waste can simply separate cooked and raw food and leave the bin out as part of your normal kerbside waste collection so it can be sent to a composting site or to an anaerobic digestion plant to make green energy.

Check this map to see if you live in an area in which you are entitled to have a food waste recycle bin service

Home composting is an option if a food waste recycling bin is not available to you at the moment. Click here for additional information on how to make compost at home.

Want to know more about you food packaging labels which will also help you cut down on food waste - take a look here

Do you know what happens to the contents of you food waste recycle bin

SRWM – My Waste A5 Flyer-AW How best to use you kitchen caddy download here
Capture Sticker for your kitchen caddy download here

Report on The Food Waste Recycling Pilot Project

Some of the key outcomes of the trials were:

  • Households with a food waste bin already further increased their participation.
  • Collectors reported an increase in tonnage of food waste presented during the pilot project of between 20 and 25%
  • Contamination decreased by over 56% (8.5 % to 4.5%) and presentation rates of the food waste increased by 20%.

For the full report follow this link

Stop Food Waste Challenge

As we all waste food for different reasons, there will be different ways for each of us to reduce food waste at home. The Stop Food Waste Challenge brings people together to learn and share ideas about reducing food waste.

For more information on the Stop Food Waste Challenge complete the Contact Us page or check out this information leaflet. Go on, take the challenge!

Food waste prevention

A Summary Guide To The Food Waste Regulation

Check it out here