Don’t let it go to waste this Christmas!

Each year households in the UK throw away £12.5 billion of good food and we waste more at Christmas than at any other time. Reducing food waste could save an average family of four in Sutton £70 per month, which could go a long way at Christmas time.

Simple steps such as freezing your leftovers means your food does not need to be thrown out.  You can also use any leftover food to make new dishes. For recipe ideas, visit: lovefoodhatewaste.com.

Reducing the amount of food thrown out over the Christmas holidays is part of the Council’s ambitious plan to reduce food waste in the borough by 2025.  

The Council’s new Waste Minimisation Strategy, agreed at the Environment and Neighbourhood Committee on Thursday 19 December, outlines key targets to: 

-Reduce the amount of food waste we all throw away in Sutton by 20% by 2025.
-Re-use household materials to reduce the amount of non-recyclable waste each year.
-Recycle more, meaning our recycling rate remains 50% or higher.

The plans form part of the Council’s vision, as set out in our ambitious Environment Strategy, for Sutton to become London’s greenest borough by 2025. 

Sutton has made huge progress in waste reduction and increasing recycling in recent years. Between 2009/10 and 2017/18, we reduced household waste collectively by 7% and our recycling rate has increased from 35% to almost 50% in the last two years.  

Councillor Manuel Abellan, Chair of the Environment and Neighbourhood Committee, said:

“Our residents have worked hard to reduce waste and improve our recycling rates over the last decade. We are proud to now be recognised as one of London’s top recycling boroughs. 

“The Council’s new waste minimisation strategy is the next ambitious step to encourage our residents to reduce, re-use and recycle more and will be key to our longer-term aim of a zero-waste Sutton.”

The Environment & Neighbourhood Committee also discussed:

-The introduction of new parking permits for carers in the borough
-A new parks and open spaces strategy

The meeting reports are available on the council website. All council committee meetings are open to members of the public. Find out more about attending a committee meeting and other ways to have your say in council decision-making.