Features

It’s often said that too much food can damage your figure. So here are some damaging figures that could ruin your appetite. Globally, a third of all food that’s produced is wasted. That food waste is responsible for more than 173tn litres of wasted water.

If food waste was a country, it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gas. In the UK, 10m tonnes of food – responsible for 6.2b litres of wasted water and 20m tonnes of CO² – is wasted every year. Feel full yet? It’s time to trim the waste line.

In England, around a quarter of all waste is generated by commercial and industrial (C&I) businesses. The hospitality and food sectors, including hotels and restaurants, are major contributors. But businesses such as food manufacturers, retailers and even healthcare providers all add considerable weight to a burgeoning fatberg of waste. And much of it is avoidable. In hospitals, for example, 121,000 tonnes of food is thrown away each year and 75% of it could have been eaten. Food waste costs the NHS around £230m each year. Let that sink in. 

London has welcomed its first CityTree, which is hoped could go some way to reducing air pollution in the city.