NETWORK Rail recently announced their Food Waste Heroes scheme, which will be rolled out at 34 stations across the UK, including Edinburgh Waverley and Haymarket.
The scheme is in partnership with the food sharing app, Olio, which lets locals share items they no longer need on a digital marketplace.
The stations taking part will ensure that retailers within the stations can donate their surplus food at the end of every day, reducing waste and potentially feeding up to 11,000 households across the UK.
This comes after an initial 12-week trial at Waterloo station provided over 3,000 meals to more than 100 households, using donations from Starbucks and Whistlestop stores.
Network Rail are also in partnership with food travel experts, SSP, who design and operate bars, restaurants, cafes and retail outlets in stations and airports across the world.
A 2023 survey undertaken by Olio found that 1 in 5 people who request food on the app have an average household income below £10,000, and 40% said that they had cut down on meals in the past year due to lack of money.
In March, The Trussell Trust found that food bank users have increased by 94% in the last five years, and in Scotland alone, over 120,000 emergency food parcels were provided between April to September last year.
It is estimated that the Food Waste Heroes scheme could donate 150 tonnes of food annually, through collections of pre-packaged items such as sandwiches, baked goods, salads, and ready meals.
As well as Edinburgh Waverley and Haymarket, Glasgow Central is also taking part in the scheme, which was proven to avoid 5,600kg of CO2 emissions, save 1,000 kilolitres of water, and prevent 4,300 food items from going to waste when trialled in Waterloo.
Hamish Kiernan, commercial director for property at Network Rail, said: “Rail stations across Great Britain are an integral part of the communities they serve.
“That is why it was so important for us to be involved in the Food Waste Heroes initiative.
“It ensures that leftover food from retailers at our stations is not wasted but instead reaches the local community.
“It is a great example of how businesses can collaborate to make a positive impact.
“By working closely with SSP, Olio and now other retail partners, Network Rail will be able to not only cut food waste but also drive greater sustainability and deliver more for local people.”
Meredith Ford, head of sustainability at SSP UK and Ireland, said: “Reducing waste is not only a core part of our sustainability strategy but also makes good business sense.
“While we work hard to ensure we generate as little food waste as possible, there will always be some stock that we need to dispose of at the end of the day, so we’re delighted to be partnering with Olio to ensure this is redistributed to the community.”
Saasha Celestial, co-founder and COO at Olio, added: “We’re thrilled to announce this partnership with Network Rail and SSP through our Food Waste Heroes Programme at Waterloo Station and 33 other UK locations.
It’s another powerful step towards a waste-free retail sector, and we know that our four million UK users are loving seeing such good quality food being shared by volunteers on the app.”
