In February Rachel of the This is Rubbish team was invited to give a presentation and workshop to a group of undergraduate applied theatre studies students at Aberystwyth University. Some of the participatory methods of engagement that This is Rubbish uses are synonymous with applied theatre, especially pop up, public FEASTING.

After a brief TiR history and a run through of relevant events the group of 26 students was split into three and given the task of designing a Feast. Each group was asked to concentrate on 6 key areas, being as creative, inventive and ambitious as possible. These areas were: Food sourcing, Location, Logistics, Messaging, Theatrics, and Equipment.

The workshop resulted in the germination of plans for a medieval banquet to celebrate local food and educate on the plethora of fantastic welsh ingredients we have growing and grazing around the area. Group two plotted a 50’s barn dance to bring together the youth and the elderly. And the third, ‘Celebrate the shape’ a waste space picnic, drawing our attention to all the wildly wonky and weirdly wasteful from a whole plethora of industries.

All in all a really fun and educational afternoon for all, with the students really absorbing how theatre and participatory event design can be used to educated and inspire action on complex and difficult issues…. and I got to go home knowing that apparently what we do is called ‘Applied Theatre’. Who knew?

Forum and Feast at the Centre for Alternative Technology was a roaring success! See our event page here and feast your eyes on these new photos form the day.

You can also read CAT’s write up on the CAT blog.

More resources such as video clips from the day will follow in the coming weeks.

This video, made by one our amazing volunteers Rosie Strickland, provides an insight by some of the people we met during our short stay at Swansea Community Farm. The music is by local musician Sarah Passmore, who provided live after dinner entertainment.

See more about the Swansea Feast here.

We will be in London this week in the form of a FILM, screening at the hideously exciting Experimental Food Society Spectacular! For those of you in London, pop down and have a gander….

The film was made by the wonderful Matt Barton

TiR are calling for your Food Issue Films to show as part of This is Rubbish’s Forum and Feast on November 5th at the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT).

This is Rubbish are looking for suggestions of short films / animations that explore food waste issues such as:

1. the global issue; food supply chains / industrial agriculture…
2. the environmental issue; resource use / GHG impact…
3. the social issue; food equity / UK food banks / food poverty / lack of connection with our food…
4. alternatives and solutions; success stories / case studies / celebrating wonky vegetables / co-operative growing schemes….

The Short Film must:

• Be for your own film, or a film that has screening permission already granted
• Be between 30 seconds to 30 minutes in length
• Feature a food issue (preferably relevant to the UK and of relevance to food sustainability issues)

To suggest a film: Send a link to the film on-line as soon as possible to kate@thisisrubbish.org.uk.

If chosen the film will need to be sent by DVD to the below address by Monday 24th October:

Kate Blair
This is Rubbish
c/o Centre for Alternative Technology
Machynlleth
SY20 9AZ

For more information please email kate@thisisrubbish.org.uk.

Please forward to any relevant networks – we look forward to your suggestions.

Here’s a disturbing statistic: UK households waste a third of all the food they buy. Or how about this: every year we produce 5.3 million tonnes of avoidable food waste.

This picture – in which we waste £12 billion each year – is a particularly concerning one in the current age of austerity and deepening environmental concern.

Thankfully, there’s inspiring work being done by the like of Fare Share, FoodCycle, and Food Not Bombs. These three groups share a common ethos: that food headed toward landfill can be put to good use, feeding those in need, providing opportunities for volunteer cooks to build skills, and to engender community spirit.

Yet, while it’s heartening to think that we’re combating the issue of food waste by redistributing what’s left unwanted, it’s worth considering that what can be found out the back of a supermarket isn’t representative of the large-scale losses the workings of the food industry cause.

It’s been estimated that 60% of all food wasted is wasted before it reaches consumers – which makes the problem considerably larger. Starting right from the beginning of the supply chain, needless excess is produced, and wasted.

Wales-based This is Rubbish were formed in 2009 at a mass waste food feast. Committed to making changes higher up the supply chain, 2011 has seen them holding feasts all over Wales. Featuring a pop up cafe and community events, the tour has raised awareness about the surfeit of wasted food.

But how much is wasted? Rachel Solnick from This is Rubbish talks me through the waste-cycle of an average potato crop.

The problems begin with the agreements between farmers and supermarkets. In order to meet demand, supermarkets require farmers to meet their required tonnage exactly. But as anyone who has gardened knows, the matter is rather more inexact than that.

For fear of losing their contracts, farmers are encouraged to over-produce, growing 140% or so of the required amount in case of disaster. It’s unlikely this produce will be sold; farmers may be restricted by contract, or there may not be another interested buyer on the horizon. At this stage, the excess will probably be left to compost in the ground.

Then it’s on to harvest. The potatoes lifted will be subject to stringent aesthetic standards. Supermarkets evidently live in fear of the horror the British public will experience if presented with an unsightly tuber – and act accordingly.

As an indicator of how much these requirements affect the accepted yield, the experiences of 2007 are illuminating. Tristram Stuart reports in his book Waste that the potatoes were adversely affected by flooding, causing the loss of 40% of the crops. Supermarkets still managed to source most of their produce from the UK, however, simply by relaxing the aesthetic standards.

Potatoes that do make the grade will then go through production, and packaging. By this stage, the amount of wasted food will have mounded up, concluding with that thrown away by supermarkets in accordance with use-by dates which may or may not be accurate, and further aesthetic standards.

As Rachel notes, “there’s something that twangs in all of us” at the prospect of throwing away food. However, we’re not just throwing away food. When a potato goes to waste, the energy and water used to grow it, the paid labour that lifted it, the cost of transporting it, and the energy and water used in processing and storing it are lost too.

All up, it’s a massive loss – an estimated 3% of the UK’s domestic greenhouse emissions, and 6% of all domestic water usage.

What’s causing this situation? While supermarkets are not keen to claim responsibility, the constricting contracts they have with farmers no doubt contribute.

Then there’s the lack of communication up and down the supply chain. Excess produce could find another buyer; unsightly produce could be used where its appearance is immaterial. Wherever the origins of the current arrangement lie, the present situation, which generates and discards an excess at every stage of production cannot be called efficient by any standard.

So what’s the solution? This is Rubbish ask that industry takes on the task of auditing themselves, so a realistic picture can be drawn, while also encouraging the government to introduce legislation to effectively reduce food waste.

And for the passionate, there are plenty of options for making a difference at the personal level, from using consumer power wisely to getting political.

Download This is Rubbish’s top tips for making a difference to food waste here.

This post was written by Claire Bracegirdle for the CAT blog.

FoodCycle
Tackling wasted food and food poverty while encouraging volunteering, FoodCycle supports communities to collect surplus food and cook meals which are served to those in need.

WRAP
The Waste and Resources Action Programme assists different groups – from local authorities to the retail supply chain – in working toward a world without waste.

This is Rubbish
While other organisations concentrate mainly on the food thrown out by supermarkets or in the home, This Is Rubbish concentrate on the food wasted before it reaches consumers. Launched in 2009 at a mass public food waste feast, TiR have been touring Wales this summer with a popup food waste café.

FareShare
Working to relieve food poverty while also reducing food waste, FareShare provides food for those in need sourced from surplus products from the food and drink industry. In 2010/11, their work helped make 8.6 million meals.

Food Not Bombs
A global movement that protests against war and poverty by recovering food that would have been discarded and sharing it. Begun in the United States, there are now over 1000 local groups, from Asia to the Middle East.

This post was written by Claire Bracegirdle for the CAT Blog, click here for the full article and comments.

Digest information by day in the food waste forum, and dine in style by evening at This is Rubbish’s “Feast” finale.

Forum and Feast is the grand finale of This is Rubbish’s successful Wales wide tour of food waste feasts this summer, and will be aimed at environment and food waste interested individuals and groups. Working in collaboration with The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT), it will take place at CAT’s innovative and beautiful low carbon WISE building, the Welsh Institute for sustainable education.

The event promises an in depth look at the causes and solutions of food waste with a range of experts including Dr Andy Rees; Head of Waste Strategy, Welsh Assembly Government, Dr Adrian Morley; Research Associate at Business Relationship, Accountability, Sustainability and Society (BRASS), Emma Marsh; Head of WRAP’s Love Food Hate Waste campaign, and Professor Martin Caraher, Reader in food and health policy at the dept of Health Management and Food Policy at City University.  The forum, an engaging program of panel discussions, workshops, complimentary lunch, film screenings and exhibition (9.30am – 6.30pm), will be followed by an exceptional evening Feast; a three course sumptuous supper made form food that otherwise would’ve been wasted, served at a candle lit table, accompanied live music and original entertainment from troubadour folk band Bard (7.00 – 10pm). Full program details here.

Booking: Places are limited and advance booking is necessary. Please book your tickets here.  Price includes refreshments and lunch.

Transport: For travel details please visit here

Accommodation: Booking comes with an exclusive offer of an ensuite twin room in the WISE complex for £62+ VAT per room per night or £31.00 per person based on two sharing.

We hope you can join us for an exciting, informative and waste saving event!

In collaboration with Pontoi Arts, and the Open Arts Festival, TiR and Bycicology took to the streets handing out rejected apples. Each apple invited the unsuspecting crowd to the visiting Luminarium, for a day of activities and games with apples of all shapes, sizes and creed.

See event page.