‘Community fridge' will be launched in Harborough in a growing effort to tackle food waste

A new 'community fridge' will be launched in Market Harborough in a growing effort to tackle food waste.

The fridge will be located at the EcoVillage in St Mary’s Road and will be open every Tuesday to Saturday, helping residents to share surplus food and for anyone to help themselves to food that would otherwise be wasted.

Launching during Big Green Week (taking place between September 24 and October 2), the EcoVillage said it 'seemed a fitting time' to coincide with a week of national climate change action, happening all across the UK.

They are now calling for the local community and allotment holders in the district to donate surplus food from Tuesday September 27 onwards.

Beth Lambert, co-founder of the EcoVillage, said: “We’re extremely excited to be opening the first community fridge in the area, which will not only be a facility to reduce waste, but also a complementary way to help those finding increased financial pressure on their shopping baskets.

“We hope this is a simple and straightforward way of putting food to good use that may otherwise go to waste, and a superb asset for the local community."

Food waste is a big issue in the UK. The average household throws away £700 worth of food every year and at the same time four million people in the UK are living in food poverty. Most food waste in the UK is avoidable and could have been eaten had it been better managed.

The fridge is one of a growing number opening up across the UK. The concept first arrived in the UK in 2016 with community fridges opening up in Swadlincote, Frome and London. Now over 50 projects are running across the country.

Beth added: “We cannot wait to open the community fridge and hope by monitoring the impact it’s having, then this vital community concept can be scaled up further!”

To find out more about the EcoVillage, donate or volunteer visit: eco-village.co.uk Or email [email protected]

More information on The Community Fridge Network, including a map of fridge locations and advice for those interested in setting up a community fridge can be found at www.hubbub.org.uk/communityfridgenetwork