A series of talks showing people how to make the most of food leftovers kick started in Carshalton.

The “Watch Your Waste” events, organised by The Co-operative, will help tackling the growing problem of household food waste.

Each year UK households throw away 6.7 million tonnes of food, 70 percent of which could have been eaten. This works out at a cost of £617 per household and creates the same amount of CO2 as one fifth of the cars on the UK's roads.

The first event happened at the Carshalton Boys Sports College on Tuesday and featured the Co-operative’s community chef, Jill Weatherburn, cooking up a selection of recipes using food items that commonly end up in the bin.

Owen Jell, the Co-operative’s regional secretary for the south east, said: “When The Co-operative carried out its Food Ethical Policy consultation, over 100,000 members and customers said action to safeguard the environment was one of their top priorities.

“The Watch your Waste events are an excellent way to help our customer members cut their waste and help the environment by giving them tips and ideas on what to do with leftover food. Jill has some great advice and we are looking forward to hearing what she has to say.”

The events, which will also focus on food planning and management, supports the Love Food Hate Waste government-funded campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the need to reduce food waste, as well as providing practical tips and solutions to help consumers make the most of their leftovers.

For more information call 0800 015 1147.

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