The recipe for zero waste success

This talk by Douglas McMaster (chef, Silo and Cub) was given at the advaya event No Leftovers: Remedying a Wasteful World, at Refettorio Felix.

At this event, chef, techie, entrepreneur, activist: four inspiring figureheads came together to share their vision on how to wage war on food waste and salvage a sustainable food-scape for the future. We joined the pioneers of the fight against Food Waste to uncover the true cost of our addiction to consumption through an evening of talks, panel discussion, Q&A, drinks and food. Joining us were Douglas McMaster from Silo and Cub, the UK's first zero-waste restaurants, Carina Millstone, Executive Director of Feedback, an environmental organisation campaigning to end food waste at every level of the food system, Ruth Anslow, founder of the ethical supermarket hiSbe (How It Should Be), breaking the mould by putting people and planet first, and and Ludvig Berling (Karma), creator of the food waste app connecting surplus food with hungry consumers.

We live in a wasteful world. Every year, a third of the global food production is lost or wasted – that’s 1.3 billion tonnes of waste worldwide, with a scandalous impact on resources in production and distribution, carbon emissions and over-brimming landfills. In the UK, we throw away 7 million tonnes of food and drink from our homes every year, the majority which could have been eaten. Wasting this food costs the average household in the UK £470 a year. With the global population set to rise to over 9.5 billion by 2050, the world is wondering how to feed the world? It’s time to make a change.