A CAMPAIGN to help people in North Yorkshire cut down on the amount of food they waste has been hailed as a huge success.

In the What not to Waste challenge, eight households were given tips, advice and challenges which resulted in them reducing the amount of food they threw in the bin by an average of 78.8 per cent in little more than six weeks. The challenge was part of the York and North Yorkshire Waste Partnership’s Love Food Hate Waste campaign.

It was prompted by a report showing that UK residents throw away about one third of the food they buy.

Research also shows that much of the wasted food could be eaten, saving the average household £420 per year, rising to £610 for families with children.

Sue Adsett, from Northallerton, took part in the challenge, representing the Hambleton district.

She is now a big fan of one of the campaign’s tips - such as grating cheese before it goes off and freezing it in a bag.

The campaign has also seen the training of 76 ‘waste warriors’.

They spread the word about how to reduce food waste locally.

Newly-certified waste warrior Sheila Pearson, from Richmond, said: "Food waste is an important environmental issue.

"The training gave me some good ideas to pass in the occasional work I do with school children.

"I will base at least one of my ‘green page’ columns I write in the church magazine on what I’ve learnt."

County councillor Clare Wood, chairwoman of the waste partnership, is delighted with the success of the campaign.

She said: "It has been great seeing residents coming together and speaking passionately about food in a way which helps their wallets, and the planet.

"This project shows how easy it is to reduce food waste.

"If we all made some simple changes we can have a very positive impact on the environment and the amount of waste we send to landfill."

The Love Food Hate Waste road show is visiting towns in the county, offering advice on cutting down on food waste.

To find out if there is a road show taking place near you, visit letstalklessrubbish.com