Average household throws 338kg food away a year

Despite 62% of Brits thinking food waste is unhygienic and 56% an inconvenience, research shows the average household throws away 6.5kg of food waste every week. It is a total of 338kg a year.

Among the 2,000 adults surveyed, the top ten most common meals to throw away included roast dinner, Chinese takeaway, pasta bake, curry and rice, plus fish and chips. Spaghetti bolognaise, stir-fry, lasagne, risotto and pies also made it onto the list. The study showed six in ten families regularly fail to finish everything on their plates, throwing leftovers into a waste bin.

A spokesperson for food waste disposal firm InSinkErator, said: “Throwing away the odd bit of food from each meal might not seem like a lot. But when you add that up over a week or year, it’s a staggering amount. Not only is it horrible to see how much food gets wasted, but if you think of how much you spend buying that food in the first place, it can be quite unsettling.”

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Of the 6.5kg figure, almost a fifth was said to be made up of leftovers and cooked food that had gone uneaten – the equivalent of around three full plates of food each week. According to the research, 60% of Brits admitted they don’t always eat everything put in front of them, with another 70% saying they usually have to scrape uneaten food off their children’s plates as well. Almost one in three said they leave food because they have simply put too much on their plate, while another 19% don’t like the taste of what is put in front of them.

When it comes to children, 41% leave something because they are too fussy to eat it. Plus, almost one in ten youngsters refuse to eat food that has been burnt or overcooked. The study also found that 46% of Brits admitted they worry about the amount of food they throw away, with another 56% concerned about the cost. Despite this, 55% admit they know they often cook too much food for their family.

A spokesperson for InSinkErator added:”It is incredible how much we leave on our plates, and how it all adds up. As they say, as soon as you start to measure it, then you can start to do something about it. So many of us have no idea about the amount of leftover food we throw away.

“A food waste disposer is a responsible way to dispose of leftovers, and has a positive impact on reducing food waste going to landfill sites, therefore improving our carbon footprint.”