Food Waste – How much?

In the UK we throw away 6 million tonnes of food and drink from households every year.

Of that 6 million tonnes:

4.4 million tonnes is avoidable food waste, Food and drink that could have been eaten but was thrown away, often due to over-purchasing, poor storage, or cooking too much.

1.6 tonnes is unavoidable food waste, Scraps and waste produced during food preparation which is inedible and would not usually be eaten e.g. bones, eggshells, pineapple skin and teabags.

In 2025 Suffolk Waste Partnership carried out a waste composition analysis which showed the make-up of Suffolk's rubbish bins.

A staggering 33.7% of an average bin was food waste! So, what was thrown away?

8,591 tonnes of raw fruit and vegetables
182 tonnes of raw meat and fish
21,993 tonnes of cooked and prepared food waste
14,982 tonnes of food whole still in packaging
633 tonnes of edible liquids, fats and oils

Avoidable food waste

7,794 tonnes of raw fruit and vegetable waste
170 tonnes of raw meat and fish

Unavoidable food waste

Why is food wasted?

Understanding the reasons why people throw away food and drink will help to reduce food waste.

The reasons people give for throwing food and drink away are:

Not used it in time: food that has been thrown away because it has gone off (mouldy, mushy or rotten) or because it has passed a date label.
Cooked, prepared or served too much: food and drink that has been cooked, prepared or served in the home and subsequently discarded.
Personal preference: food and drink not eaten due to allergies, other health reasons, wanting to feed animals with that food, or simply not wanting to eat this particular food or part of a food item.
Other: this includes food that has been contaminated, was burnt or is otherwise spoilt; cupboard clear out; dregs at the bottom of a cup.