Resources

Standard bread is the second most wasted food in UK households and represents 80% of all bakery waste in the UK.

Since 2019, WRAP has been providing support to partner authorities in Hampshire as part of Project Integra. Project Integra was established in 1995 to provide an integrated approach to the collection, treatment and disposal of waste in Hampshire.

The project involves 11 waste collection authorities, 2 unitary authorities, Hampshire County Council and Veolia Hampshire, the integrated waste management contractor.

Modelling work undertaken by WRAP in 2017/18 helped officers from North East Lincolnshire Council develop a business case to replace the weekly collection of residual waste with an ‘alternate week collection’.  In addition to delivering financial savings for the authority, the implementation of fortnightly residual waste collections saw an 18% reduction in residual waste alongside a 50% increase in dry recycling.

WRAP supported the development of a new waste strategy, shaped by internal targets and external drivers, such as alignment with the resources and waste strategy. The Council has a target to increase its recycling rate from 46% to 55% by 2025. Basildon Council’s vision is to re-position its waste and recycling collections in alignment with its carbon reduction and sustainable resource management ambitions.

Around 70% of the food wasted in the UK is produced by citizens in their own homes, with over 4.5 million tonnes of food that could have been eaten being thrown away by UK households every year.

Ramadan is the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. During the month-long celebration, it has been observed that the amount of food that is thrown away increases, with WRAP’s insights suggesting more food goes to waste over this period than at other times of the year.

Around 70% of the food wasted in the UK is produced by citizens in their own homes, with over 4.5 million tonnes of food that could have been eaten being thrown away by UK households every year. Inherently this is a result of consumers purchasing too much food.

Ramadan is the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. During the month-long celebration, research has suggested leftover food waste is expected to go up from an average of 2.7 kilograms per person, per day, to 4.5 kilograms.

In 2020 WRAP carried out an options appraisal on behalf of a medium sized Waste Collection Authority in the midlands to compare the cost and performance of a range of collection scenarios in preparation for necessary changes to its household waste collection service.

During July and August 2019 WRAP, and communications agency Cutting Edge Marketing, provided the Council with advice and support to help develop clear communications and messaging that would enable them to engage effectively with their householders on the introduction of the new recycling services. 

Hart District Council and Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council are neighbouring local authorities in Hampshire. WRAP was asked to provide support to help each authority design and produce new communications materials and provide tailored advice on developing and delivering targeted communication campaigns.

This initiative was led by Resource London - the partnership between WRAP and London Waste & Recycling Board - together with Groundwork London. The organisations won a bid to the LIFE programme of the European Commission to deliver the €3.2million initiative in London, which acted as a test bed for other European cities.