The Waste Resources Action Programme has published a new study looking at waste arisings in the supply of food and drink to households in the UK. The study looks at waste arisings at the manufacturing, distribution and retailing stages.
Waste, in the context of this study, refers to solid waste and excludes liquid waste, with the exception of liquid waste from households. The study also does not include waste generated in agriculture, and the packaging and processing of fresh products such as fruit, vegetables, meat and fish (as these are part of separate pieces of research being conducted by WRAP). In addition non-waste substances from the manufacturing stage that are sent to animal feed as by products are also excluded from the waste analysis but are included within the analysis of resource efficiency opportunities. WRAP has also carried out work previously which looks at waste at the household stage.
This study finds that total food waste arisings for the supply chain and households amount to 11.3 million tonnes, and total packaging 5.1 million tonnes. In addition there are 2.2 million tonnes of by product sent to animal feed from the manufacturing stage of the chain. Household waste accounts for 65% of the estimated 18.4 million tonnes of waste generated, with food and drink manufacture accounting for 27% of waste (an estimated 5.0 million tonnes).
You can download the report here.
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