Halton residents waste £50 worth of food each month (From Runcorn and Widnes World)

Runcorn and Widnes World launches campaign to help reduce landfill waste

12:30pm Wednesday 24th October 2012 in News

HALTON is one of the highest producers of waste in the country, it has been revealed.

Dumping our household rubbish in landfill will cost £2.8 million this year.

If we don’t take urgent action, the bill will rocket by a further £1 million in four years as landfill taxes, which go to the treasury, soar.

Legislation is forcing councils to reduce waste as space for refuse tips is rapidly running out.

A recent survey placed Halton’s record at 26 out of 350 local authorities across the UK for burying the most rubbish.

The average household in Runcorn and Widnes throws away almost £50 worth of food a month.

Some homes no longer have a cooker as people rely on fast food or microwave meals.

Halton’s waste boss Jimmy Unsworth is urging people to cut the current annual 63,000 tonnes of refuse and try to recycle.

He is confident if residents spent more time sorting and sifting through their household waste, they wouldn’t throw so much away.

Mr Unsworth, divisional manager for waste and environmental improvement, said: “It’s all about making a difference.

“If you think more about waste you will save money.

“Households are throwing away £40 to £50 worth of food every month. In these tough times, that’s a lot of money people could have in their own pockets.

“If we can save money by cutting our waste bill it will allow the council to maintain and improve other services.”

If everyone just makes a small change, it could make a big difference.

Clr Stef Nelson, board member for waste, said: “A reduction of 10 per cent on the amount of residual waste produced per household could achieve savings of approximately £280,000 per year.

“This equates to around 68 kilograms of waste per year, or 1.3kg per week.”

More than half the waste produced in Halton could be recycled.

Halton is one of only four councils in the country which offers rewards for recycling.

Residents are given points that can be redeemed for vouchers for money off goods and services at shops, businesses, restaurants and leisure and entertainment. Recycling has increased to 40 per cent.

• THE World is teaming up with Halton Council in the coming months to encourage people to buy more fresh produce and prepare their own tasty dishes.

Our ‘Let’s Cook’ campaign will invite chefs to share their secrets with you.

We want to prevent people throwing away £50 worth of food every month and put that money back into your pockets by organising demonstrations so you can see how easy it is to turn fresh ingredients into healthy meals.

Quick, simple recipes will be available and experts will show you how to fillet fish, bone a chicken, create a stir fry, make curries, stews, soups and other nutritious dishes.

You will not only save money and reduce the amount of waste, but hopefully, enjoy preparing meals at home with your families.

We will seek professional advice on how to safely freeze food and take the mystery out of those ‘use by’ and ‘sell by’ dates on fresh produce.

We will tell you where you can buy locally sourced fresh fruit, vegetables and dairy produce at cut price.

We will be inviting health experts to share their knowledge about vitamins, calories and nutrition, so we may even lose some weight, feel fitter and have more energy.

We hope local supermarkets and food retailers will come on board with special offers.

And most importantly we will be encouraging you to share your tips.