In Food Waste Action Week (7-13 March) a new website - Hampshire Kitchen Heroes - is being launched by Hampshire County Council with the aim of helping residents to save money and the planet with incentives and rewards, for reducing household food waste.
Councillor Jan Warwick, Hampshire County Council’s Executive Member for Climate Change and Sustainability, said: “We need to substantially reduce the amount of food that we waste. This new website promises to be a useful tool to help us to do that. The average family throws away over £60 worth of food every month – and it’s not just our pockets that are taking the hit. Wasted food accounts for as much as 10% of global carbon emissions which means food waste is hindering and not helping efforts to tackle climate change.”
Hampshire Kitchen Heroes features over 20 different food waste saving actions. People can earn ‘Green Points’ by taking steps like checking their fridge before they shop, keeping a food diary of what’s being wasted and sharing their favourite recipes using leftovers. These points feed into leader boards allowing people to compete with other residents across the county to be the ultimate Kitchen Hero.
The resident who earns the most ‘Green Points’ for their actions each month, will win a £20 voucher from a choice of Hampshire-based experiences, Marks and Spencer, Love2Shop or for a donation to be made to a local food bank.
Hampshire Kitchen Heroes is open to all residents in the Hampshire County Council local authority area - sign up at: hampshirekitchenheroes.co.uk
In addition to the new website, the Council’s Smart Living team is seeking resident s’ views on food waste through its annual survey via Smart Living’s Facebook or Twitter channels.
Led, by the charity WRAP, Food Waste Action Week is a platform to highlight the issue and encourage people to take action to halt global food waste by 2030.