Plan ahead to save waste and save money – that is the message from Somerset Council as the festive food shopping starts in earnest.

Christmas sees Somerset’s food waste rise by as much as 11% – with an additional 238 tonnes thrown out in January 2022.

Somerset Council says that by planning Christmas meals residents can save money and help to protect the environment.

Simple steps can help prevent extra waste:

• Take stock of what you’ve got in the cupboards and the freezer before you head to the shops.
• Avoid the temptation to buy too much ‘just in case’. Most shops are open for much of holiday.
• Plan your meals and buy only what you need.
• If you like to have a little bit extra at the table, plan this into your meals following the ‘big day’.
• Batch cook extra meals and store in the freezer, especially useful if guests stay longer than planned.
• Head to Love Food Hate Waste for more ideas and or search their recipes by food type to use up anything in particular you may have.
• Make the most of your leftovers by being creative in the kitchen and having store cupboard staples like rice and pasta on hand to turn leftovers into meals.

Love Food Hate Waste estimates over 100,000 tonnes of edible poultry, 96,000 tonnes of carrots and 710,000 tonnes of potatoes are thrown away each year in the UK.

Cllr Dixie Darch Executive Lead Member for Environment and Climate Change said:

Meal planning for the festive period means you buy only what you need and eat all you buy. Planning ahead can also help to keep costs down. Remember to take stock before you head to the shops.

Reducing food waste is also one of the best ways to reduce your carbon footprint, helping Somerset to be greener and more sustainable.

If you really cannot make use of leftovers, put them in your food waste bin. All food can be recycled – raw, cooked, fresh, “off”, bread to bones, including your turkey carcass – plus paper kitchen towel.

Food waste should be wrapped in newspaper or line your caddy with a compostable liner (with the ‘looped seedling’ logo on them).

In Somerset, recycled food waste is taken to an anaerobic digestor near Bridgwater and used to make green energy and soil improver for local farms.

Solid fats can go in your food waste bin, but liquid oils should be recycled at any recycling site.