Each year, over 1.3 billion tonnes of food (which is nearly one-third of what the world produces) is lost or wasted, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN FAO). This is not just a humanitarian and ethical concern, but an environmental and economic crisis with far-reaching implications. But there is hope through repurposing food waste.
The global impact of food waste
Wasted food carries a hidden cost. It's not just about uneaten leftovers, it’s about the energy, water, and labour used to produce that food. When food is discarded and left to decompose in landfills, it releases methane, a greenhouse gas over 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
The United Nations has highlighted food waste as a key challenge to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, which aims to halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels by 2030.
Organizations like DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) in the UK are actively working to address this. DEFRA supports initiatives like WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) and campaigns such as Love Food Hate Waste, which promote smarter consumption and reduction of household waste.
In the Netherlands, the Rijksoverheid (Dutch Government) is equally proactive, backing projects that promote circular food systems and innovations in waste-to-energy conversion. Through national partnerships (for instance Samen tegen Voedselverspilling (Together Against Food Waste) and funding, they support programs that help consumers, farmers, and businesses reduce food waste at the source and repurpose what remains.
Repurposing: The smart solution
The solution isn't just to waste less, it's to do more with the waste we already have. Here's how individuals, businesses, and communities can start turning food waste into something valuable.
1. Composting: Feed the Earth
Transforming food scraps into compost is one of the simplest and most effective ways to reduce waste and enrich the soil. Vegetable peels, coffee grounds, and fruit cores decompose naturally into nutrient-rich compost that can help regenerate farmland, gardens, and green spaces. In many regions, including the Netherlands and parts of the UK, local governments offer composting bins and guidance to encourage this sustainable practice.
2. Cooking Creatively
Think of food scraps as ingredients, not garbage. From carrot-top pesto to stale bread croutons, there are endless ways to reuse parts of food that are often thrown away. Culinary waste reduction is a growing trend among both home cooks and professional chefs. This movement aligns with UN FAO initiatives that encourage sustainable cooking as a form of climate action.
3. Preserving and Freezing
Instead of throwing away produce that’s past its prime, consider pickling, fermenting, or freezing it. Overripe fruits can be made into jam or smoothies, while wilting herbs can be blended with oil and frozen in ice cube trays for later use. Preservation not only extends shelf life but reduces reliance on industrially processed alternatives.
In the Netherlands there are creative businesses that that turn overripe fruit, left over fruit pulp of stale bread into new food products. For instance, leftover supermarket bananas get turned this into banana bread, cookies or doughnuts. Leftover cacao fruit flesh gets squeezed and bottled into an exotic fruit drink and stale bread gets repurposed to beer.
4. Feeding People and Animals
Many surplus food items are still edible and safe. In the UK, DEFRA supports food redistribution charities and food banks to ensure that usable food reaches those in need. Similarly, the Dutch government supports platforms that match businesses with excess food to local charities.
Some inedible scraps like orange peel are being collected and used to create a citrus fibre (that can be used as thickener, binder emulsifier and for water retention), a citrus oil to be used in food and personal care products, a degreasing and natural solvent that is used to make cleaning products, and even liquors.
For other inedible scraps, such as bakery products local farms or animal sanctuaries may be able to use them as livestock feed, further reducing waste.
For instance, research from the WUR (University of Wageningen) shows that it is possible to replace some of the grains in piglet feed with bakery by-products, resulting in better grow results with a circular feed1.
5. Turning Waste into Energy
Advanced technologies now allow organic food waste to be converted into biogas or biofertilizer through anaerobic digestion. Countries like the Netherlands are investing heavily in this process as part of their energy transition strategy.
The Rijksoverheid emphasizes this in their Climate Agreement, supporting the development of circular economies and green energy through the use of food and agricultural waste1.
What governments are doing
Governments worldwide are stepping up:
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DEFRA (UK) funds research, infrastructure, and community programs to reduce food waste and improve food chain sustainability.
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The United Nations is coordinating global action through education, policy, and its Sustainable Development Goals.
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The Rijksoverheid (Netherlands) promotes innovative recycling systems and circular food initiatives, aiming to become a zero-waste society by 20502.
These efforts show that repurposing food waste is not only a matter of individual action, it’s a growing part of national and international policy.
What you can do
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Audit your kitchen: Keep track of what you throw away and why.
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Plan meals: Buy only what you need and use perishables first.
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Repurpose scraps: Get creative with leftovers and food parts.
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Compost at home: Or find a local composting program.
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Support organizations: Donate or volunteer with food redistribution charities.
Conclusion: Waste is a resource in disguise
The challenge of food waste is vast but so is our capacity to solve it. Repurposing food waste isn’t just an environmental duty; it’s an opportunity to be more creative, more conscious, and more connected to the systems that feed us.
With global collaboration, national policies, and everyday actions, we can transform our approach to wasteand unlock a future where nothing is wasted, and everything has value.
We at Kilburn & Strode would love to be part of new business initiatives that help to reduce or repurpose food waste by protecting your new inventions via patents and trademarks. If you have any questions regarding protecting your Intellectual Property, please reach out to Marit Blom or your usual Kilburn & Strode advisor.
1. https://library.wur.nl/WebQuery/groenekennis/2341161
2. https://www.klimaatakkoord.nl/themas/biomassa