Norfolk Waste Partnership

Press Release

9^th November 2017

FAKENHAM GETS A COMMUNITY FRIDGE – 1^st IN NORTH NORFOLK

Thursday 9^th November sees the arrival of North Norfolk’s first ‘Community Fridge’ which will be located at First Focus in Oak Street, Fakenham. Supported by a host to organisations including North Norfolk District Council, Recycle for Norfolk, the environmental charity Hubbub UK and Sainsbury’s plc Waste less Save more programme, the Fakenham Community Fridge is part of a growing effort to tackle food waste.

The fridge will be open four half days in the week to enable residents and businesses to share surplus food for free. Anyone can help themselves to free quality food that would otherwise have been wasted.

First Focus is calling on the support of all food businesses in Fakenham to donate surplus food still within its ‘use by’ date in to the Community Fridge where local people can help themselves to good quality free food.

Food waste is a big issue in the UK. The average family throws away £700 worth of food every year and at the same time 4 million people in the UK are living in food poverty. Most food waste in the UK (4.1 million tonnes or 61%) is avoidable and could have been eaten had it been better managed.

North Norfolk’s Cabinet Member for the Environment, Cllr Annie Claussen-Reynolds said: “No one likes to see edible food go to waste and this is such a simple idea to prevent it. Despite growing awareness of food waste generally, there aren’t that many ways for businesses to get food nearing its ‘use by’ date to others until now. The Community Fridge is an open access fridge which we hope local food retailers and residents will embrace by making good use of it.”

The Chair of the Norfolk Waste Partnership, Cllr John Fisher commented “We are delighted to be part of the UK’s growing Community Fridge Network. With ultimately seven Community Fridges being installed in Norfolk, we will have the largest network of Community Fridges outside of London.”

Otherwise known as ‘Honesty’ Fridges, Community Fridges have been successfully introduced in Spain, Germany and other parts of the UK. Recycle for Norfolk is working to establish a total of seven Community Fridges across Norfolk as part of its Waste less Save more Discovery Community project working with Sainsbury’s.
The fridge will be unveiled on Thursday 9^th November at 12pm at First Focus, Oak Street, Fakenham. The fridge is part of the wider project to raise awareness of food waste known as the Fakenham Discovery Community. There will be a display in the market place on 9^th November to highlight the issue of food waste and how to prevent it. Fakenham is one of seven new Sainsbury’s Discovery Communities being set-up in Norfolk by the Norfolk Waste Partnership under the banner of Recycle for Norfolk.

Further details about the Community Fridge and everything planned in the Fakenham Discovery Community can be found at www.recyclefornorfolk.com/discoverycommunities or via Twitter and Facebook: @PlanEatSave @Recycle4Norfolk

Ends

For media enquires please contact Paula Boyce, Principal Communications Officer, Norfolk Waste Partnership, on 07823 383552 or email [e-mail]

Member Contact

Cllr Annie Claussen-Reynolds, Cabinet Member for the Environment at North Norfolk – tel no 01328 864808.

Notes to Editors

1. 
   First Focus is located at Oak Street, Fakenham, Norfolk, NR21 9DY.The Fakenham Community Fridge at will be open Monday to Wednesday from 9am to 12.30pm, Thursday- 9am to 2.30pm. Please contact April Simnor or Clarissa Belson, 01328 855083.
   

2. 
   Between now and February 2018, Recycle for Norfolk is installing seven Community Fridges located in: Fakenham, Thorpe St. Andrew in Norwich, Shrublands in Gorleston, Downham Market, Heartsease in Norwich, Watton and Costessey supported by Sainsbury’s plc.
   

3. 
   Norfolk’s Community Fridges are part of a national Community Fridge Network established by Hubbub, a UK based charity that creates environmental campaigns with a difference. In 2016 Hubbub helped South Derbyshire Community Voluntary Service) set up the Swadlincote Community Fridge. During the initial six month trial period it re-distributed 2,290kg worth of food, which would have otherwise been wasted.
   

4. 
   More information on the Community Fridge Network, including a map of fridge locations and advice for those interested in setting up a community fridge can be found at www.hubbub.org.uk/communityfridgenetwork
   

5. 
   The national statistics and information on food waste in the UK can be found at:
   

www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/why-save-food

www.wrap.org.uk/content/hospitality-and-food-service-wraps-work-0

6. 
   The Norfolk Waste Partnership (NWP) is made-up of Norfolk’s County, District, Borough and City Councils working together to improve waste and recycling services for Norfolk’s residents and visitors. ‘Recycle for Norfolk’ is the public-facing brand of the NWP.
   

www.recyclefornorfolk.com