Would you like to meet new people, learn new skills and share your knowledge and know-how with your local community?
If so, Hampshire County Council is looking for volunteer ‘champions’ to help change attitudes towards food waste.
It’s estimated that in Hampshire, residents throw away around 62,000 tonnes of food in their rubbish bins every year, the majority of which could have been eaten.
Nationally, food waste is costing the country billions of pounds a year to deal with – and it’s not good for the environment either.
As part of the Love Food Hate Waste campaign, the Council is looking for volunteers to help spread the word on how families can save as much as £60 per month by making the most of the food they buy, throwing away less and trying out home composting.
Champions will be fully trained and involved in passing on tips and advice to help local residents reduce the amount of waste disposed of in Hampshire.
The type of activities you could be involved in as a champion are:
- Giving talks to community groups, students and businesses.
- Attending local events and shows to promote food and garden tips and advice.
- Leading group activities to show how food waste can be reduced through smart shopping, meal planning, storage and using leftovers in new recipes.
- Demonstrating how to make compost.
- Contributing to articles for websites, community newsletters and the local media.
This work will help support Hampshire County Council’s year-long drive, which kicks off in May, to reduce the County’s waste disposal costs of £100 million per year, by making more people aware of how to compost at home, how to reduce food waste, upcycling furniture and making better use of second hand shops.
Hampshire County Council’s Executive Member for Economy Transport and Environment, Councillor Seán Woodward, said: “If you are comfortable speaking to groups of people from all backgrounds and believe that you could use your enthusiasm to help change their habits, this could be a great opportunity for you. Volunteering can be a rewarding way to learn new skills, gain confidence and obtain references to help with further career development.”
Volunteers will be asked to commit around 30 hours over a year, which could include some evenings and weekends. Knowledge in food and/or prior experience of home composting would be helpful but not necessary as full training will be given. You will be supported by staff and other volunteers.
For more information email: waste.prevention@hants.gov.uk, or call Zoe Cooke on 01962 832286 or Mike Culver on 01962 846764.
