THE HAMPSHIRE waste partnership Project Integra is joining forces with national and international food and drink companies to help tackle waste across the UK.
All 11 district councils in the county, including East Hampshire District Council (EHDC), and Hampshire County Council, and Portsmouth and Southampton councils are Project Integra members.
Working with organisations such as Waitrose, Nestle and Pizza Hut, the partnership has signed up to the 2025 Courtauld Commitment, to make food and drink production and consumption more sustainable.
With an estimated two billion more people on the planet to feed by 2050, the Courtauld Commitment 2025 is the voluntary agreement, run by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), to reduce the environmental impact of our food and drink, from farm to fork and beyond.
The commitment has three ambitious targets, to reduce food and drink waste, and greenhouse gas intensity of food and drink consumed in the UK, by 20 per cent.
It also wants to cut water use in the supply chain
Project Integra will be inspiring action and change to help people get more value from food and drink, and make best use of that food without throwing it away, linking to the well-known national Love Food Hate Waste initiative.
By being part of the network of over 100 businesses and local authorities, Hampshire will have access to funding to launch initiatives to support the successful Smart Living campaign, a waste prevention and lifestyle initiative which aims to help Hampshire residents waste less.
In its first year, Smart Living has already contributed to a reduction in overall household waste of 7,600 tonnes.
Councillor Rob Humby, Hampshire County Council’s Executive Member for Economy and Transport, said: “The shocking facts are that, for every two tonnes we eat, another tonne is wasted. Individually, as the County Council, and as a member of Project Integra, we fully support this new commitment and we are keen to work with other organisations to reduce waste in the food chain.
“Hampshire County Council has a solid track record of diverting waste from landfill, and we are committed to reducing Hampshire’s waste as far as possible. We have already launched our successful Smart Living campaign which gives people ideas and information on how to waste less at home, saving them time and money. We will now look to concentrate even more on how to inspire people to reduce their food and drink waste and help them to make their money go further.”
Councillor Frank Pearson, Interim Chairman of Project Integra, said: “Project Integra is a very successful waste partnership for Hampshire. Signing up to the Courtauld Commitment is another step which shows our dedication and ambition to making a more sustainable future right across the food chain.”
Dr Richard Swannell, Director of sustainable food systems at WRAP, said: “The pressures of resource scarcity, population growth and our changing climate will have profound effects on our food supply in the coming years, and business efficiency. To safeguard UK food we need a step-change to increase sustainable food and drink production and consumption, conserve resources and combat climate change. Courtauld 2025 will do this.”