Food Waste

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WRAP estimates the annual food waste arisings within households, hospitality & food service, food manufacture, retail and wholesale sectors in 2018 at around 9,500,000 tonnes, 70% of which was intended to be consumed by people (30% being the 'inedible parts')[1]

Source : Mental Floss - Picture of General Household Food Waste
Source : Mental Floss - Picture of General Household Food Waste


Summary

WRAP estimates the annual food waste arisings within households, hospitality & food service, food manufacture, retail and wholesale sectors in 2018 at around 9,500,000 tonnes (down from 11,200,000 tonnes in 2007), 70% of which was intended to be consumed by people (30% being the 'inedible parts')[1].

In the graphic below (reproduced table 1 from the most recent WRAP briefing note[1]) the total waste is split at around 6,400,000 tonnes of edible food waste and 3,100,000 of inedible food waste (the inedible fraction shown red in the graphic and should not be added to the numbers in black or blue).

Figures in blue are not classed as food waste (food surplus) or by-products and so are not included in the figures in black. They included around 700,000 tonnes of food surplus from manufacturing, retail and hospitality and food services being redistributed via charitable and commercial routes or being diverted to produce animal feed (classified as waste prevention under the food material hierarchy and based on 2015 numbers). Management of all food waste has to comply with the Animal By-Products Order and some diversion, for example to animals, may require treatment to comply with the regulations.

Source: WRAP Graphic - Key Facts Report Updated May 2019
Source: WRAP Graphic - Key Facts Report Updated May 2019


Summary of notes embedded in the graphic above:

  1. Estimates in the total column exclude farm based tonnage/Agricultural Waste (shown in grey)
  2. This includes 780,000 tonnes collected separately by Waste Collection Authorities and 530,000 tonnes of food waste which is composted at the home
  3. This is an estimate based upon research feedback that around half is sent for recovery (primarily via thermal treatment/Energy from Waste) and half is classed as recycling (via Anaerobic Digestion or Composting)
  4. Destinations of food waste from manufacturing is based on the split identified in 2014 work by WRAP
  5. Based on Local Authority Collected Waste data that WRAP have analysed as 79% being Incineration With Energy Recovery, 1% being Incineration Without Energy Recovery, and 19% going to landfill
  6. The split between recovery and disposal has been based on the same percentage split as household food waste
  7. (note shown as 9 in the table) Examples include spent grain from brewing and dried sugar beet pulp
  8. (note shown as 10 in the table) Includes 261,000 tonnes from retail and 43,000 tonnes from wholesale

Sources of Food Waste

In the graphic above, the figures in black and in bold are the total food waste tonnage and its origin and excludes food waste arising from primary production (so the numbers are expressed in the briefing note as 'post-farm gate'). Note household food waste represents 70% of the post-farm-gate total, manufacturing 16%, hospitality and food services 12% and retail 3%.

Tonnage of food waste 'on farm' or classified as Agricultural Waste is estimated at between 900,000 tonnes and 3,500,000 tonnes (with

Destinations of Food Waste

The WRAP report does not analyse the proportion of Animal By-product Material, but the nature of the material and its category will determine, to a large extent, the type of disposal/treatment route and the operations needed within that type of disposal/treatment route to meet the regulations.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 WRAP Key Facts Jan. 2020