Reducing the amount of unnecessary waste we produce is something we should all take seriously, especially with national and local net zero targets in mind.

I was interested to hear this week about Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s Waste Free February campaign, which is encouraging as many people as possible in Swindon and Wiltshire to make small changes to their lifestyle to cut right back on the amount of waste they throw away.

The Trust is challenging people throughout February to limit their waste to a small pedal bin bag or carrier bag. For those who like an even bigger challenge, there is also the option of trying to limit waste to a single jam jar. Last year, 400 people took part in the challenge preventing six tonnes of rubbish from being put in the bin. It would be great if even more people take part this month, so why not give it a go.

As a council we are taking steps to make it easier for people to recycle and at last night’s Communities and Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee, councillors were given an update on our plans to roll out a borough-wide food waste collection service from this autumn.

In 2021, around 1.3bn tonnes of food waste was generated worldwide, which equates to about a third of the total amount of food produced. This really is shocking when you think about it.

Here in the UK, we generated over 9.5m tonnes of food waste with 70 per cent coming from households. Why do we throw away so much food? It is mainly due to buying too much food and not using it in time; preparing too much food for meals and throwing away leftovers; and a lack of awareness of food expiry dates. Restaurants, supermarkets and cafes can also supply too many dishes or products, which then lead to them being wasted.

When food is thrown away, it rots and releases methane, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. This can happen whether it rots in our compost bin or at a landfill site.

Methane has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide. Although in the UK, less than one per cent of carbon emissions related to food comes after it has been disposed of, a large amount of greenhouse gases are emitted when it is transported to supermarkets, restaurants or homes. On average, a British family discards approximately £810 worth of food each year. The amount of carbon generated by wasted food in the UK is comparable to that released by one fifth of the country’s vehicles on the road.

When we roll out the food waste service later this year, we estimate we will save around 8,800 tonnes of greenhouse gas per year based on removing 8,000 tonnes of food waste from the residual waste stream. This equates to between 10 and 15 per cent of the total amount of waste we collect from wheelie bins or blue bags.

When the food waste is collected, it will be taken away and treated using a method called anaerobic digestion, which produces renewable energy (biogas) and agricultural soil improver, a process much kinder to the environment.

Further details about the food waste rollout will be sent out to residents later in the year. In the meantime, why not sign up to Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s Waste Free challenge to see how much of a difference you can make now at wiltshirewildlife.org/waste-free-february