What to do with food you cannot share from your collection

What do I do if I am unable to share all food from a collection?

OLIO exists to prevent waste, so the number one rule is to  only collect what you feel you can share via the app.

The information below relates to any surplus you have not managed to redistribute after your collection, with the exception of your 10% personal allowance. Your priority should always be to share as widely as possible with your community. We'd love for any surplus food to go to human consumption so please always try to share with your neighbours, friends or family first. Once done, we have some more alternatives to make sure the remaining food does not go to waste:

* Before donating to a charity, feeding your pets or donating to a farm, please read the information below.

Is your surplus food still within date?

YES -  “food is within date and/or has a best before date” 

  • Donate to a charity
    • Surplus food after a collection can be donated to charities and organisations like food banks and soup kitchens in and around your local area. Once connected with a food bank, please show them OLIO and encourage them to request your surplus items directly from the app.
  • Feed it to your pets 
    • Why not treat your pets to some delicious snacks with any surplus food from your collections. This is a planet-friendly way to make sure you and your household are doing your bit to stop any further food waste. 
    • If you have any pet pigs or piglets, there are very strict rules on what they can be fed in the UK. Please read up on what you can or cannot feed them here.
  • Donate to a farm
    • In the UK it is illegal to give animals food from a catering kitchen or from any non-vegan kitchen. Only whole fruits and vegetables directly from a business that haven’t passed through your kitchen can be processed and used as animal feed.

NO - “food is past its use-by date”

  • It’s illegal for food to be given away food past its use-by date.
  • Turn it into compost 
    • You can turn expired surplus food into compost. Composting is an environmentally friendly way of reducing food waste. We recommend using any fruits or vegetables left over after your collection as fertiliser around your garden and for your indoor plants. 
  • Help produce renewable energy 
    • You can also use commercial waste services that are able to produce renewable energy from Food Waste, contact your local council to find out if they have these available.

What to do with surplus bread following collections?

Sometimes collections can be filled with huge quantities of bread, which at times are hard to distribute on the app. If you are having difficulty in sharing your surplus bread, why not turn it into something new?

Here are some tips on what to do with surplus bread: 

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/leftover-bread-recipes
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/apr/09/20-recipe-ideas-leftover-bread

Sources:

Did this answer your question? Thanks for the feedback There was a problem submitting your feedback. Please try again later.