Scotland urged to prevent £90m worth of food waste at Christmas
The Scottish population could reportedly cut more than £90m worth of food waste over the Christmas period, equating to savings of £38 for every Scottish household.
Resource efficiency organisation Zero Waste Scotland has sent out a message to the Scottish people to “shop smart and save money” over the festive season. The group is calling upon Scots to collectively tackle the 50,375 tonnes of food and drink expected to be binned in December, by using and storing leftovers.
Zero Waste Scotland food waste campaigns manager Ylva Haglund said: “With all the food most of us buy in the run up to Christmas, this can be a difficult time of year to avoid throwing food out. But taking a little bit of time to check your fridge and cupboards and make use of what you already have can save you a lot of money.
“The average household could save £460 a year by putting food to better use – simply by thinking ahead when shopping for meals, freezing extra portions and following recipes to use up any ingredients instead of just buying more.”
Additionally, Zero Waste Scotland figures suggest Scots are expected to throw away more than 3.5 million mince pies, 240,000 Christmas puddings and the equivalent of 100,00 turkeys. Using up and storing all these items could save more than £3m, the organisation claims.
