West Sussex County Council is thrilled to support Love Food Hate Waste’s Food Waste Action Week, running from 17th – 23rd March 2025.

Food Waste Action Week is the flagship annual event delivered by WRAP’s Love Food Hate Waste campaign. It helps households develop the tools they need to reduce food waste at home. This year, Food Waste Action Week will continue to focus on raising awareness of the benefits of buying loose fruit and vegetables.

Around a third of the average rubbish bin in West Sussex is food waste—most of which is avoidable. In fact, 70% could have been eaten at some point prior to being thrown away. Of that, 41% is just not used in time and 25% is binned because too much has been cooked.

 West Sussex County Council is supporting this campaign with the aim of reducing the amount of edible food ending up in general waste at home. Wasted food costs an average of £20 per month per person, or £80 per month for a family of four.

Food Waste Action Week will help shoppers save money and reduce food waste by encouraging them to buy loose produce.

WRAP’s research has identified the potential to significantly reduce household food waste by removing the packaging on uncut fresh fruit and vegetables. This allows shoppers to buy only what they need, while also eliminating a significant amount of unnecessary packaging.

Recently, WRAP called for a packaging ban on 21 fruit and vegetable items, to be developed via a formal consultation process. This recommendation was made in collaboration with industry stakeholders across the supply chain. Selling these 21 items loose could save approximately 100,000 tonnes of edible fruit and vegetables from being wasted annually in households, as well as 13,000 tonnes of plastic film.

WRAP has highlighted that policy change is necessary to drive action across the entire UK food system. A standardized approach would create a level playing field, overcoming challenges faced by the industry and enabling people to buy uncut fruit and vegetables loose.

West Sussex Recycles will support the campaign and its “buy loose” message by hosting waste prevention stands at various events, as listed below:

Event list	Date	Time	Address
Horsham Library	Monday 17th March	10am-4pm	Lower Tanbridge Way, Horsham RH12 1PJ
County Hall Chichester Event	Tuesday 18th March	11:30am-2pm	WSCC, County Hall, West Street, Chichester, PO19 1RQ
Broadfield Community Food Hub	Wednesday 19th March	9:30-11:00am	Broadfield Community Centre, Broadfield Barton, Crawley, RH11 9BA
Worthing Community Food Hub	Thursday 20th March	9:30-11:00am	Sidney Walter Centre, Sussex Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 1DS
Crawley Library	Friday 21st March	10am-4pm	Southgate Ave, Crawley RH10 6HG
Worthing Library	Saturday 22nd March	10am-4pm	Richmond Rd, Worthing BN11 1HD
County Hall North Event	Tuesday 25th March	11:30am-2pm	Parkside, Chart Way, Horsham, RH12 1XH
Storrington Community Food Hub	Wednesday 26th March	9:30-11:00am	Chanctonbury Leisure Centre, Spierbridge Road, Storrington, Pulborough, West Sussex, RH20 4PG
Bognor Community Food Hub	Wednesday 2nd April	9:30-11:00am	Bognor Youth and Community Centre, Westloats Lane, Bognor Regis, PO21 5JZ
Petworth Community Food Hub	Thursday 3rd April	9:30-11:00am	Sylvia Beaufoy Centre, Midhurst Road, Petworth, GU28 0ET
Haywards Heath Community Food Hub	Friday 4th April	9:30-11:00am	Ascension Church, 110 Vale Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH16 4JS
Southwick Community Food Hub	Wednesday 9th April	9:30-11:00am	Southwick Community Centre, 24 Southwick Street, Southwick, Brighton, BN42 4TE

At these events, the team will distribute waste prevention tools such as recipe booklets, digital scales, spaghetti measures, rice scoops, and more. Additionally, a compost bin raffle will be held at each library and UKHarvest Community Food Hub event, with residents invited to participate by engaging with the stand and answering team members’ questions.

Food Waste Action Week

Welcome to our special edition Residents' eNewsletter, celebrating Food Waste Action Week (17 to 23 March)! We’re supporting Love Food Hate Waste by sharing our top food waste prevention tips as part of our #FightAgainstFoodWaste campaign.

Around a third of the average rubbish bin in West Sussex is food waste—most of which is avoidable. In fact, 70% of this could have been eaten at some point prior to being thrown away; of that, 41% is just not used in time and 25% is binned because too much has been cooked.

Saving food from going to waste is good for the environment, as when you throw food away, you’re not just wasting the product but also the energy, water and other resources that have gone into producing and transporting it. Reducing your food waste can also save you money; waste food is the equivalent of £20 per month per person, or £80 for a family of four. 

Read on for practical tips to help you reduce food waste and save money!

Buy loose fruit and vegetables

Research shows that if all apples, bananas and potatoes were sold loose, 8.2 million shopping baskets' worth of food waste could be prevented every year. That’s simply because when fruit and vegetables are sold loose, people can buy only what they need and will use.

So next time you're at the shops, skip the pre-packaged bags of potatoes or bananas and choose loose produce instead. Bonus points if you bring a reusable bag to put them in!

We know that buying loose fruit and veg is a great way to prevent overbuying and reduce food waste, but Love Food Hate Waste wants to hear what you think! To help them understand public opinion on this issue, they’re running a quick poll during Food Waste Action Week. Click on the button below to take part between 17 and 23 March.

Take part here

Be a smart shopper

Planning a menu for the week and making a list is essential and will help you buy only what you need and save you money. When writing your shopping list, make sure you check what you have at home and how much extra of an ingredient you will need.

Shops also frequently promote BOGOF (Buy One Get One Free) deals and 'loss leaders'. This is where a number of products will be considerably marked down in price, generally close to the store entrance, to attract your immediate attention. Before adding those extra items to your basket, ask yourself:

1. Are these items actually on your list?
2. Will you definitely use them?
3. Do you need to change your plans or list to accommodate them?

Try to only go to the shops once a week as this helps to avoid buying extra food you don’t need and reduces the temptation from other offers. Also, avoid going shopping when you’re hungry and in a rush as it's difficult to shop wisely in those conditions.

Love your leftovers

Got leftovers from dinner? Save them for lunch the next day instead of throwing them away. Not enough for a full meal? Combine small portions with other ingredients to create something new. They can usually be frozen to make a quick and easy meal as well.

Try to clean out your fridge monthly to make use of any leftovers you have lying around. If you’re struggling for inspiration or recipes that make the most of your leftovers, visit the Love Food Hate Waste website or BBC Good Food for fun, tasty leftover recipes that help you make the most of what you have.

If you are noticing that you always have leftover bread, try freezing your loaf to keep it fresh. You can defrost it slice by slice to ensure you never need to throw away any bread again. Most toasters even have a defrost setting so you can defrost your bread and toast it at the same time.

Freeze with ease

One of our favourite tips for keeping food fresher for longer is to make sure you are storing it correctly. When you buy food at the supermarket, check the packaging to see how it should be stored for maximum freshness.

Did you know for your fridge to work effectively it should be at 5 degrees Celsius or below? From time to time, you should check your fridge’s built-in thermometer against a freestanding one to ensure accuracy. As with your fridge, your freezer needs to be at the right temperature to work effectively. Your freezer should be set at -18 degrees Celsius or below.

Want to make the most of your freezer? See our top 10 tips for freezing food online.

Get composting!

Composting is a fantastic way to make use of your food waste, from coffee grounds to vegetable peelings. You can also add in garden waste like lawn clippings, annual weeds, and even paper and cardboard. Not only does composting reduce waste, but it can also save you money by reducing the need for garden products like soil improvements, fertilisers and mulches. Composting is also great for the environment as it encourages garden biodiversity, in the form of worms, slugs and woodlice. This then provides food for valuable wildlife like birds and hedgehogs. If you're interested in home composting, visit our waste prevention page for information on how to get started and details on how to get a subsidised compost bin.

Food waste prevention events

To mark Food Waste Action Week, West Sussex Recycles will be attending various food waste prevention events, including a stand at all of the WSCC funded UKHarvest Community Food Hubs. These hubs are designed to educate residents on how to prevent food waste and reduce surplus food from suppliers that would have otherwise gone to waste. All residents are welcome to visit the child-friendly community food hubs and fill up a bag with delicious, rescued food. You don’t need a referral, just pop along and bring a reusable bag to fill with fresh fruit and vegetables.

 Drop by for waste prevention tips, giveaways and a chance to win a compost bin!

• Monday 17 March 10am–4pm, Horsham Library, Lower Tanbridge Way, Horsham, RH12 1PJ
• Tuesday 18 March 10am–11am, Oving Community Food Hub, Oving Jubilee Hall, High Street, Oving, PO20 2DG
• Wednesday 19 March 9:30–11:00am, Broadfield Community Food Hub, Broadfield Community Centre, Crawley, RH11 9BA
• Thursday 20 March 9:30–11:00am, Worthing Community Food Hub, Sidney Walter Centre, Worthing, BN11 1DS
• Friday 21 March 10am–4pm, Crawley Library, Southgate Ave, Crawley, RH10 6HG
• Saturday 22 March 10am–4pm, Worthing Library, Richmond Rd, Worthing, BN11 1HD
• Wednesday 26 March 9:30–11:00am, Storrington Community Food Hub, Chanctonbury Leisure Centre, Storrington, RH20 4PG
• Wednesday 2 April 9:30–11:00am, Bognor Community Food Hub, Bognor Youth and Community Centre, PO21 5JZ
• Thursday 3 April 9:30–11:00am, Petworth Community Food Hub, Sylvia Beaufoy Centre, Petworth, GU28 0ET
• Friday 4 April 9:30–11:00am, Haywards Heath Community Food Hub, Ascension Church, Haywards Heath, RH16 4JS
• Wednesday 9 April 9:30–11:00am, Southwick Community Food Hub, Southwick, BN42 4TE

Alongside the above events, the Waste Prevention Team also attend various public and private events to promote waste prevention, reuse, and recycling, and are eager to answer questions about the county's recycling services and waste reduction initiatives. A full list of events can be found on our website here.

Find out more about Food Waste Action Week

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Interested in waste prevention and recycling? Subscribe to the West Sussex Recycles newsletter here for monthly stories, hints and tips on waste prevention, recycling and reuse. You could also follow @WSRecycles on social mediato keep updated!