National Zero Waste Week gets underway

The scheme, held in partnership with waste minimisation blog the Rubbish Diet, encourages members of the public take a waste reduction pledge to become Zero Heroes with the aim of reducing the amount of food waste they throw in the bin.

At present the week does not have national coverage in the sense of the traditional Recycling Weeks- usually held in June . However, National Zero Waste Week is seen by some as likely to gather momentum, partly because Defra is also working on its Zero Waste Plan which will be published by the end of the year.

letsrecycle.com is among the media partners for the 2013 campaign- it already runs the national Zero Waste Awards programme which is supported by Saica Natur and WasteCare.

This years theme Use It Up! revolves around food waste, with members of the public asked to slim their bins through a range of recommended initiatives including meal planning, buying loose rather than packaged food items and considering leftovers as ingredients.

Other suggested pledges for reduction include wising up on portion control; resisting buy one get one free offers; using up stored food; and sharing a zero waste recipe. Those who pledge to take action will receive daily email updates to ensure accountability, and could be entered into a prize draw.

West London Waste and Shropshire council are among those that have highlighted the campaign, with Zero Heroes who have pledged listed on the website. Zero Waste Week will conclude on September 8.

In a blog post published on letsrecycle.com today, Zero Waste Week founder Rachelle Strauss discussed why the event is important.

She explained: I dont know about you, but I like to focus on the solutions, rather than the problems. It can feel horribly overwhelming if we look at the bigger picture. Our immediate reaction is But what can *I* do? Im only one person.

As an opportunity to become part of the solution, I set up Zero Waste Week six years ago, the aim of which is to invite participants to reduce landfill waste.

Editor of letsrecycle.com Steve Eminton added: We are pleased to be supporting National Zero Waste Week. By pledging to reduce waste, people are helping to conserve resources and secure a more sustainable future.

According to the Waste and Resource Action Programme (WRAP) food waste branch, Love Food Hate Waste, households in the UK throw away 7.2 million tonnes of food and drink every year, with an estimated cost of 12 billion to the economy.

For updates on Zero Waste Week, follow Rae Strauss on Twitter at @myzerowaste.