Council’s bid to get £1million investment to help Newry to waste less and save more.

Newry, Mourne & Down District Council are calling for local partners from community, voluntary organisations, schools and local businesses to work with them in a bid to win a £1million investment for the area.

Supermarket chain, Sainsbury’s, have launched a fresh and exciting food waste initiative entitled the Waste Less, Save More Town Challenge. Sainsbury’s want to invest £1milllion in a UK town to become a test bed for it’s new scheme, this town must have a population of over 15,000 and have a Sainsbury’s store within its boundary, so Newry fits the bill!

Sainsbury’s want to bring a community together and work with it to try some of the latest ideas and innovations- helping it to tackle and reduce food waste whilst at the same time saving money. This year- long investment could include reward programmes to encourage recycling, fridge innovations to track when food is beginning to expire, talking bins that give tips on household rubbish and new packaging to keep products fresher for longer. All findings and recommendations from this trial phase are to be developed into a blueprint and made public in subsequent years so other communities across the country can benefit from the results.

Deputy Chairperson Cllr Gillian Fitzpatrick said, “Food waste is a huge problem. We throw away 7 million tonnes of food and drink from our homes every year in the UK, more than half of this could be eaten. The average family with children wastes about £700 per year or £60 per month! I encourage all types of organisations within a 5 mile radius of Newry to get intouch and help put Newry on the food waste map.”

Deputy Manager of Sainsbury’s Newry Lisa O’Neill said, “The winning town will be taking part in one of the most ambitious and exciting community projects seen in the UK. The town will play a special role in leading the way for the rest of the nation to follow. To find out more about the competition visit www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/wasteless”

The Council want to lead the way in proactively finding solutions to waste management to register your interest in joining us on this quest, email recycling@newryandmourne.gov.uk, by 9th of October, more information can also be found on our website www.newrymournedown.org.

PHOTO L-R: Lisa O’Neill(Deputy Manager Sainsbury’s), Joe Parkes (Assistant Director NMDDC), Cllr Gillian Fitzpatrick (Deputy Chairperson), Liam Dinsmore (Management Services Officer) and Tara Cunningham (Recycling Officer NMDDC)