This content was archived on 13th March 2018
Six things that can be powered up if we try a little harder with food recycling
Publication date:
13 Mar 2017
The Six Nations final match is fast approaching, and while we’re gearing up to spectate, there are ways food recycling can help us enjoy supporting Wales in a different way.
As a country, many of us are at the top of the league when it comes to food recycling. But, some of the more inevitable food waste products can often be overlooked such as the humble teabag after a cuppa or a banana peel left off side rather than thrown into a food caddy.
Recycling food waste is not only good for the environment, but it can be converted into energy which has the potential to power anything from the lights at the Principality stadium to the fridge keeping your match beers cool.
Whether you’re at home on the sofa, in the local pub with your friends, or one of the 74,500 sat in the stands at the Principality Stadium for last Friday’s home game, when it’s time for kick-off remember the benefits your food waste can have on powering your experience of the Six Nations game.
Here are six ways recycling your food waste could help support Wales in the Six Nations:
1. Power a TV at home – 47 recycled tea bags could generate enough electricity to power a TV for 80 minutes – enough time to watch both halves of a 6 Nations game!
2. Power a big event screen to watch the match – Just 83 recycled banana skins could provide the electricity to power a large screen in a fan zone for long enough to watch both halves of the match!
3. Power a fridge to chill the beers - The average Welsh household fills 2 wheelie bins of food waste a year. If this was recycled it could generate enough electricity to power a fridge for a month – that’s your beers chilled for almost the whole tournament!
4. Power the floodlights at the Principality stadium - If every member of the crowd lucky enough to be watching the game live at the Principality Stadium last Friday recycled one banana peel it could produce enough energy to power the floodlights for 4 rugby matches!
5. Power the DJ set at the night out afterwards – Hitting the clubs after Saturday’s game against France? Just 7 ½ caddies of recycled food waste could generate the electricity to power the DJ set for a whole hour!
6. Power the kettle & toaster the morning after – Need to recover the morning after? Need to get some tea and toast on board? Recycling just 6 teabags could create the electricity to boil the kettle for your morning brew and recycling ¼ of a caddy’s worth of food waste would power the toaster for 2 rounds of bread! It might not make your head feel any better but we think you’ll feel good about helping Wales continue to lead the way on protecting our environment.
Recycle for Wales wants to encourage people across the country to recycle more food waste and reap the benefits of a cleaner environment and the production of renewable energy.
Unavoidable waste items, such as tea bags, egg shells, potato peels and banana skins aren’t edible but can all be recycled and turned into energy.
Let’s cross the line with food recycling this rugby season.
Food recycling is available to almost every household in Wales. Find out more about how to recycle in Wales and your local service by visiting our food waste page.