Food Waste Prevention, Management and Upcoming Events
Why Food Waste Matters
Why Food Waste Matters: Did you know that approximately one-third of all food produced for human consumption is wasted globally each year? This not only squanders precious resources like water, energy, and land but also contributes to environmental degradation and climate change.
National Food Waste Recycling Week 2025
National Food Waste Recycling Week will run from the 1st to the 8th June 2025. This campaign, managed by My Waste encourages everyone to recycle food waste by providing practical advice, with easy to follow hints and tips to encourageeveryone to recycle more of their food waste. Find out more here: Food Waste Recycling - My Waste
Separating food waste is a powerful climate action.
Why does it matter?
Food waste is a major environmental issue. When it ends up in landfill, it can break down and release methane, a potent greenhouse gas. On top of that, all the energy, water, and resources used to produce, transport, and store that food also go to waste. By recycling food waste, we divert this valuable resource from landfill and instead turn it into renewable energy and fertilisers that benefit Irish agriculture and horticulture.
What can I do?
Ireland currently recycles about 160,000 tonnes of bio-waste each year, but we have the capacity to increase this to 550,000 tonnes. This week, we’re focusing on raising awareness of the part each of us can play in supporting a greener, more circular economy. One simple step is managing your food waste more effectively. Using a kitchen caddy lined with a compostable bag is an easy and proven way to collect food waste at home.
You can put any leftovers into your caddy—like eggshells, tea bags, raw or cooked meat and fish. Just remember to remove any packaging first. Once collected, food waste is processed in one of two ways: composting or anaerobic digestion. Composting mixes the food waste with garden materials to produce a nutrient-rich fertiliser. Anaerobic digestion breaks down the food in a liquid environment using natural bacteria, producing a gas that can be used to generate electricity.
Every tonne of food waste recycled instead of ending up in landfill can prevent around half a tonne of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.
This year’s campaign celebrates the significant strides made in food waste recycling, with over 1.2 million households now using brown bins across Ireland. The call to action — “Say No to Brown Bin Intruders” and key message “No Metal, No Glass, No Plastic Makes Your Brown Bin Fantastic!” highlights the importance of reducing contamination and encouraging every household to become a Brown Bin Champion.
The campaign is being managed by Ireland’s three regional waste management planning offices* and funded by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications.
Celebrate National Food Waste Recycling Week 1st -8th June 2025 with Fingal County Council
This campaign, managed by My Waste provides practical advice, with easy to follow hints and tips to encourage everyone to recycle more of their food waste. Join us for a week of inspiring events designed to help you reduce food waste, save money, and protect the planet, one caddy at a time. Find out more here: Food Waste Recycling - My Waste
Tuesday 3rd June - Estuary Recycling Plant | 2:00pm – 5:00pm
Kick off the week by picking up your free kitchen food caddy, complete with compostable liners. It’s a simple step toward smarter food recycling, just drop by and collect yours.
Wednesday 4th June - Applewood Community Centre, Swords | 10:30am – 11:30am
Join our Reduce Your Food Waste Workshop, a lively and practical session where you will learn techniques from preserving to perfect storage to ensure you waste less, save money and reduce your impact on the planet. Shopping plans, food storage, Grow Your Own and zero waste shops are all discussed.
All attendees will receive a free kitchen caddy and a reusable keep cup.
Book your free place on Eventbrite here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/reduce-your-food-waste-tickets-1380424840859?aff=oddtdtcreator
Thursday 5th June - Millennium Park Community Garden | 10:30am – 12:00pm
Discover the magic of composting with our Home Composting Workshop. Perfect for beginners or those who want to improve their composting game, this session will explore how to turn food scraps into rich, fertile soil. Learn about composting techniques, soil health, and the unsung heroes of the garden—worms!
Free kitchen caddy and reusable keep cup for every participant.
Book your free place here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/home-food-composting-workshop-tickets-1380437428509?aff=oddtdtcreator
