Residents living in Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire are being reminded that their bin collections will be one day later than usual following the late May bank holiday. 

Those going away on holiday for half term are also asked to add ‘think fridge’ to their holiday preparation checklist.

Cllr Rosy Moore, Executive Councillor for Environment, Climate Change and Biodiversity at Cambridge City Council explains: “With food prices still rising and the high impact that food waste has on our own carbon footprints, now is a really good time to do what we can to reduce food waste.

She continued: "There are lots of helpful tips that can really make a difference; if you are going away over the bank holiday weekend such as keeping on top of what's in your fridge to see what needs using up.

"Check for use-by dates that are before or during your holiday and then make meals using up those ingredients. If you can’t use it up this week, hit pause on that ingredient by freezing it.

She added: "A great tip is to help yourself out when you get back from holiday by preparing a meal for the freezer that you can just pop in for dinner when you get back. When you return you’ll have a nice clean fridge with nothing mouldy in it, and an easy meal to pop in the oven while you relax.

"If you have milk left on your departure day you can pop this in the freezer too and just put it back in the fridge to defrost when you get back. If you make a few milk ice cubes you will even be able to have a cuppa when you get in, without having to remember to buy milk on your way home.”

The Olio app is another way to avoid wasting food when you go away, by easily giving it away to other people locally. Simply list your items and wait for people to claim them.

Cllr Henry Batchelor, lead cabinet member for Environmental Services and Licensing at South Cambridgeshire District Council added: “An average household in Cambridge or South Cambridgeshire is throwing away 2kg – that’s nearly 5 meal portions - of food every week. This doesn’t include things like peel or eggshells – it’s food which could have been eaten if it was used up in time. This is costing families over £700 a year – imagine putting that towards your holiday. With a few changes to our habits, like starting to ‘think fridge’ before you go away, we can all save money and reduce the 11,000 tonnes of food that go into our bins each year.”

You can find more tips for reducing food waste at Love Food Hate Waste

Household Recycling Centres are open as usual over bank holidays. Find opening times for your closest one here 

You can check the Waste Carriers register  

Residents in Cambridge can download their own tailored bin collection calendar or for those living in South Cambridgeshire here is the South Cambs bin collection calendar

Greater Cambridge Shared Waste collects recycling and rubbish from around 128,000 households across the city of Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire.