Our food waste collection service, which launched on 5 October, has collected more than 316 tonnes of food from homes around the district in its first five weeks. That’s roughly the weight of 25 London buses and around 5.5kg per household.
The amount of waste collected has increased week on week, with a peak last week, due to the additional weight of Halloween pumpkins.
The food waste collected is taken to anaerobic digestion plants which can generate around 10million kWh of energy every year - enough to power 2,200 homes - alongside around 20,000 tonnes of nutrient-rich organic fertiliser.
Councillor Robert Mocatta, East Hampshire District Council portfolio holder for Regeneration and Prosperity (which includes climate and environment), said:
“While we’re extremely happy with the number of residents who are taking advantage of the service, many residents are clearly buying more food than they can use.
"Now that we’re all seeing how much we’re throwing away each week, separate from our other waste, residents will be more aware of the food waste they throw away.
"This may lead over time to a change in buying habits, and we expect that over time the food waste per household may drop - although this will be offset by an increase in participation rates."
Research from WRAP shows 4.4million tonnes of edible food is thrown away every year by UK households - this is worth around £1,000 per year for a family of four.
The Love Food Hate Waste website has tips on good food habits that can help reduce the amount of food waste that ends up in your caddy.