Food waste isn't just bad for the planet, it's also bad for our bank accounts

It's estimated that one in five bags of food shopping goes to waste each week - that's 6.6 million tonnes of food per year in the UK. This is a global problem and has a major impact on our environment. In fact, if global food waste were a country, it would be the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases!

Food waste isn't just bad for the planet, it's also bad for our bank accounts. Did you know that an average family of four could save £70 a month simply by reducing the amount of food they waste?

Recycling your food waste with your kerbside collections is a positive step, but preventing waste is always the best and most sustainable solution. There are lots of small, simple changes we can make to our daily habits that could make a world of difference from right here in Surrey.

Mike Goodman, Chairman of the Surrey Environment Partnership said: "Reducing the amount of food we waste is essential if we want to reduce climate change and live a more sustainable lifestyle. It's all about changing some of our daily habits. So I urge you to try these tips for a month and see how quickly doing something new can benefit you and the environment."

You can help save money and protect the environment by using these simple tips:

• Freeze food near its 'Use By' date
• Make meals from leftovers and get creative with your ingredients to use what you have
• Plan your meals and avoiding over-buying
• Pay attention to what you regularly throw away and tweak your shopping habits accordingly. Find you're not using a full two litres of milk before it expires? Try downsizing to one litre or switch to plant-based alternatives that stay fresh for longer.
• Realise you accidentally bought too much? Donate your surplus food to a community fridge
• Don't be too shy - ask for a to-go bag for your food at restaurants

Find out more at: www.surreyep.org.uk