A NEW campaign has been launched by Wiltshire Council to cut down on the amount of food people throw away.

The Love Food Hate Waste campaign began on Monday and aims to reduce the 40,000 tonnes of food waste currently ending up in landfill in the county each year.

Now residents are being asked to back the campaign by visiting its new website and following advice and guidance on reducing waste.

People will be asked to pledge to make a shopping list every week and stick to it, only cooking what is needed for each meal and using leftovers to create new meals.

They are also being asked to check use by dates and freeze anything that won’t be eaten in time, keep fruit and vegetables in the fridge and keep a food waste diary to identify what is wasted.

Anyone who fills in a pledge card online will be entered into a prize draw to win a gourmet weekend for four, cookery lessons for two at a cookery school in Bristol and dinner for two at a hotel in Dorset.

Catherine Dixon, waste projects officer, said: “This campaign is packed with common sense ideas about making the most of your food as well as helping the environment.

“If every individual plays their part in just three simple ways it would make a real difference. We need to ensure we buy no more than we need, make the most of our leftovers and compost what’s left.”

For more information visit the website at www.lovefoodhatewaste.com.southwest.