Make Your Food go Fuuuuurther This Food Waste Action Week

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council is delighted to support Love Food Hate Waste’s Food Waste Action Week, running from 9 – 15 March 2026. 

Food Waste Action Week is the flagship annual event delivered by WRAP’s Love Food Hate Waste, helping households develop practical habits to cut food waste at home.

This year’s Food Waste Action Week theme ‘Make your food go fuuuurther: for your pocket, for our planet’ focuses on simple, practical everyday actions that help food go further, helping save money, reduce stress and protect the planet.

Each year across the UK, 4.4 million tonnes of edible food is thrown away from households, generating 16 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. The cost of this wasted food is estimated at £17 billion annually, equivalent to around £1,000 per year for a family of four. 

At a time of rising costs and climate pressure, reducing food waste is one of the fastest and simplest ways to support households and cut emissions - through a few simple everyday changes that give back both to your pocket and our planet.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Councillor Philip Campbell said, “We are proud to support Food Waste Action Week and the important message behind this campaign. With the rising cost of living continuing to impact many households, making the most of the food we buy has never been more important.

“By taking a few simple steps - such as planning meals, storing food correctly and using up leftovers - households can save money while also helping to protect the environment. Small changes can make a big difference, and this campaign provides practical tips that can help everyone make their food go further.”

Dr Sam Hubble, Specialist for Food System Transformation at WRAP, said, “Eat what you buy and love every mouthful. It’s a win-win: it’s saving money, it’s saving resources and it’s a simple thing that we can all do to save the planet. Food needs to go in bellies, not bins.”

Food waste, collected locally in the brown bin is sent to an in-vessel composting facility, where it is transformed into nutrient-rich compost and soil conditioner. This material can be used in our homes, farms and across our community, helping to support healthier soils and greener environments. By using your brown bin, you are helping to reduce landfill waste, cut greenhouse gas emissions and turn food waste into a valuable resource that benefits our local environment.

For further information on what you can put in your brown bin visit the Council Website https://www.newrymournedown.org/brown-bin