The best thing that can happen to food is that it makes it to our plates and is enjoyed.  

However, we are human and sometimes the temptation of a takeaway is stronger than the yumminess of a home-cooked meal. And before you know it, that spinach at the bottom of your fridge is out of date. It happens to the best of us. But instead of throwing it out to a general waste bin, think about the positive impact your spinach can have if you compost it instead!  

Avoiding throwing out food that could have been eaten will save you money and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, some food waste is inevitable – egg shells, banana skins and tea bags are never going to be on the menu.  

Food waste that can be recycled at home includes: 

• raw or cooked meat and fish, including bones 
• raw or cooked fruit and vegetables 
• leftovers from your plate 
• rice, pasta and beans 
• Bread, cakes and pastries 
• dairy including egg shells 
• teabags and coffee grounds 

As we at Arc love our coffee fresh, we are religiously grounding coffee beans in our coffee machines, which gives us residual waste – coffee grounds. To combat this waste (which is very much needed for the successful running of our offices!), we use a compost bin to collect our daily coffee waste and other food waste. Our director, Mike, then takes it to his home to use as compost on his garden.  

Home composting is a great way to stop this sort of waste ending up in landfill, and our gardens will really thank us for it. 

If you live in an area that has a local food waste recycling collection service, you can use this to dispose of anything you can’t eat or compost at home. It can be recycled into a good quality soil improver or fertiliser and even generate electricity that can be fed back into the national grid. You can check whether your local authority offers a food waste collection service on Recycling Locator. 

One thing to note when using your kitchen caddy for home compost is to not use plastic or biodegradable bags. Only use compostable liners with the seedling logo with reference code EN13432 to make sure they are compostable. Newspaper is not a suitable alternative to line your caddy as it hinders the composting process. 

So, what do you think? Will you give your leftover food another chance at life?  

More information: Recycle Now  

Do you want to learn more about sustainability, climate change, and feel empowered to drive a real change? Join us for the Sustainability 101 training – available every 3 months to all interested Team Members. Contact Monika on monikaszabova@archospitality.co.uk to express your interest and for more information.