THE Waste Education Team from Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, funded by Wiltshire Council, were in Westbury on Thursday 12th April to gauge the level of interest among local residents in setting up a ‘Community Fridge’ in the town.
The waste education team report, “Conrad at Mad Hatters kindly let the team use his café on the High Street to hand out tasty samples made from food that was still good to eat, but would have otherwise ended up in the bin. Free treats on offer included a yummy pasta bake and vegetable stew, vegetable frittata, lettuce pesto and banana pancakes. Clare from the café also baked a delicious banana cake.
“Equipped with our replica fridge, we had lots of interest and support for the fridge idea, with over thirty residents coming along to find out more, try some tasty samples and to volunteer or offer their support to the scheme. If you’d like to register your support for a community fridge in Westbury please let the waste team know rethink rubbish@wiltshirewildlife. org or 01380 736077.”
Jessica Thimbleby, community engagement officer for the waste team said, “The community fridge is a simple idea that is spreading across the country to help reduce fresh food waste. You set up a fridge in a safe, accessible place in town, find local shops, businesses and residents happy to give surplus food they can’t use or that’s past its sell-by or ‘best before’ date and put the food in the fridge so that it’s available to anyone who can take it and make use of it.
“This simple idea really helps us to reduce the amount of food waste we put in our bins and the amount of waste that Wiltshire Council needs to collect.
“In Frome, the community fridge has helped save more than 2.5 tonnes of food from the bin in less than a year. The team is hoping that with support from local organisations and residents, it will be possible to make a community fridge happen in Westbury.
“Every day in the UK, 24 million slices of bread are binned and the average family throws away £60 worth of food a month. The waste team were demonstrating easy recipes to use up food that can still taste good after it’s past its best, such as salad leaves, vegetables and bananas.
“Later that afternoon, the team joined Westbury Town Council to do a litter pick and nature walk in the woods at the bottom of Wellhead Lane. With willing volunteers, they collected four bags of litter, three of which was recycling such as plastic, glass and aluminium drink bottles and cans – all of which people can recycle easily using their recycling bins at home. Much of this litter was close to a large, active badger set.”
Funded by Wiltshire Council, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s Waste Education Team educates and engages communities across Wiltshire encouraging residents to reduce, reuse and recycle more of their household rubbish. Follow the Waste Team on twitter @SlimBins Wilts and Wiltshire Waste Watchers Facebook page and Pinterest board – add ideas #MyRubbishIdea.
