One of the council’s key partners in combating the cost of living is saving tonnes of food from going to waste each month and helping to feed city residents.
Gatis Community Space’s Wolves Waste Not project is collecting 2 to 3 tonnes of food every month from major supermarkets, which would otherwise end up in the bin.
The food is still edible, it may just have damaged packaging or reached its best before date, but can still provide good, tasty meals.
Steve Poultney, Food Project Manager, has been working at Gatis for 10 years and is on a mission to halt food waste and ensure people can still access good food even in these difficult financial times.
Markets are held on Wednesdays and Thursday at Gatis Community Space, where anyone can drop by and access food for very low cost or whatever they can afford to donate. Steve also works with St Chad and St Mark’s Church, which runs a similar market on Saturdays.
Steve collects from supermarkets daily and tries to ensure everything collected does not go to waste, so he works with a variety of organisations across the city to ensure food can be used before it goes off.
Gatis also operates a ‘circular economy’ approach, where it links everything to continually eliminate waste. Any food that can’t be eaten is added to their compost heaps, which is then used to grow more produce in their gardens.
Wolves Waste Not is part of the council’s wider Pocket to Plate food initiative, helping residents access good food, increase their food knowledge, enhance cooking skills and reduce food poverty.
Steve said: ‘All of the food we collect is still absolutely fine to eat and I think more and more people are horrified at how much food is thrown away in society, when so many people can’t afford to eat well.
‘This project was born out of a desire to stop all that waste, and I do everything in my power to never throw anything away.
‘I sometimes get sandwiches during my evening collections, which need to be eaten on the day, I’ve built contacts with groups I know can still use them even at that time.
‘The markets we hold twice a week at Gatis have become increasingly popular; there’s no stigma in using good food which would otherwise have gone to waste. It’s just being savvy and helping the environment while also feeding your family well.
‘We help 40/50 households at every market, but they’ve also become a great opportunity for people to have a cuppa and a chat. We’re looking at holding more pop up markets around the city.’
Leader of the council, Councillor Stephen Simkins, praised Gatis for the outstanding work it was doing in the city.
‘It’s so great to see a local scheme like this going from strength to strength and giving residents access to food that would otherwise have been thrown away. It’s awful to think of the potential waste when some people are struggling to feed their families well.
‘I commend Steve and the work his team are doing at Gatis and I’m proud as a council, we’re helping initiatives like this to thrive in our city.’
Find out more about Gatis Community Space by calling 01902 651155 or email gatiscommunityspace@gmail.com or message via their Facebook page.