Food Waste Hints and Tips
Reducing the waste we generate makes good business sense, as well as lowering the amount of resources we need.
Food Waste Action Week 2025: 17-23 March
Food Waste Action Week takes place every year in March, showcasing how you can save time and money by making the most of the food you buy. With a bit of forward planning here, and a dash of savvy storage there; you can enjoy those little winning moments in life of having tomorrow’s lunch sorted the night before or defrosting that spare portion of spag bol for a quick and easy dinner.
Our top tips include:
-
Cook a little extra and store it in the fridge for lunch the next day, or use in one of our leftover recipes
-
Create an ‘Eat Me First’ shelf in the fridge for food that needs using up
-
Plan a day per week – maybe ‘Freestyle Friday’ – to use up food near the end of its life
-
The Freezer is your Friend – if you’re not going to use your fresh food or leftover meal portions then label them and freeze for another day or try batch cooking some meals
From the amount of food we throw in the bin, to the plastics that we use and what we do with unwanted clothes can all have a big impact on the environment and people’s livelihoods all over the world.
We’re doing our bit to reduce, reuse and recycle, wherever possible – and we want to help you do the same.
We already send zero waste to landfill and when we do have leftover food, we work in partnership with redistribution partners to put surplus food to good use. Since 2013, we’ve donated food from our stores, depots and home offices, supporting local charities and people who need it the most.
There are lots of ways to reduce the amount of plastic your use, but when we work together, even the smallest of changes can make a big difference.
- Fix your caffeine fix!Carry a reusable coffee cup or flask. Around 2.5bn coffee cups are thrown away every year in the UK alone – that’s seven million a day!
- Bring your own bottlePlastic bottles are one of the most frequently found items on beach cleans globally. The lids commonly end up in seabirds’ stomachs.
- Ditch the cling filmCling film cannot be recycled, foil is recyclable. So if you are using foil, make sure you put it in the recycling bin after use!
By reusing your waste, you'll not only reduce your waste but it might stop you from having to buy something else as well...
- Get organisedWash out old ice-cream tubs and use to store food or keep your pegs, batteries and other bits and bobs organised – you could even decorate the tubs using permanent markers.
- Green FingersYou can use yogurt pots to grow seeds and hydrate the seeds by using food trays, for water trays. Why not draw a smiley face on the yogurt pot so it looks like you’re growing hair?
- Fashion going further£millions worth of clothing goes to landfill in the UK each year, which creates harmful greenhouse gases. But it doesn’t have to end up there… Make your own pair of shorts! Just pop your knee through your jeans to measure up and cut off the bottoms. You could also get 10% off at George.com when you pack up & drop off your old clothes and textiles at one of our toyou click and collect points.
?wid=572&fmt=webp-alpha&qlt=60&cacheBust=2026-06-25)
Recycling doesn’t have to be a chore – get to know the recycling logos and keep an eye out for them. Also check with your local council as some have slight differences as to what you can do.
- Recycle/ Rinse | Lid/Cap onThis label is applied to packaging that is collected by 75% or more of local authorities across the UK. Make sure you rinse off food residue to avoid contamination and keep the lid on if the logo says.
- Recyclable aluminiumThe symbol above indicates that the item is made from recyclable aluminium. Rinse or wipe off any food residue and scrunch foil, tubs and pot lids in to a ball – the bigger the ball, the easier to recycle.
- Electrical WasteThis symbol means that you should not place the electrical item in general waste. Electrical items can be recycled through a number of different channels.
