Environmental group launches project to reduce food waste in Leytonstone A solar-powered fridge is helping Leytonstone residents stop food from being […]By Waltham Forest Echo
Environmental group launches project to reduce food waste in Leytonstone
Leytonstone Community Fridge co-ordinator Diana Korchien takes in donations from local people
A solar-powered fridge is helping Leytonstone residents stop food from being wasted.
The Leytonstone Community Fridge allows people to donate unopened packaged food within its use-by date, as well as raw fruit and vegetables, enabling others to pick it up for free.
Environmental campaign group Transition Leytonstone has been working for over a year to have the fridge installed in Church Road and won support from North London Waste Authority to finally get it launched last month. Support also comes from environmental charity Hubbub, which runs the national Community Fridge Network.
Unlike other community fridges in London, which are usually placed inside community centres, the Leytonstone fridge can be found in a “funky” shelter designed by local spatial designers, Made With Volume. The fridge is located next to Café de Montmartre and is open 12pm-3pm on weekdays, enabling residents and businesses to share surplus food.
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Diana Korchien, fridge co-ordinator at Transition Leytonstone, said: “Beyond simply reducing food waste, the fridge will play a socially important role in strengthening community ties; Transition Leytonstone is anticipating a steady growth in regular users.
“To meet this need, we intend to increase our storage capacity in the near future by installing a second fridge and freezer powered entirely by solar energy and have already raised a good proportion of the funds needed.”
Across the country around £500million-worth of edible food gets thrown away each year, with the average household responsible for wasting £810 worth of food.
To find out more about the Leytonstone Community Fridge:
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