Business
From corporate success to climate action
Olio co-founder Tessa Clarke’s journey from the boardroom to the front line of food waste.
4 April 2026
This article first appeared in our Earth Day 2026 issue of My Green Pod Magazine. Click here to subscribe to our digital edition and get each issue delivered straight to your inbox
Food waste is one of the UK’s biggest environmental blind spots.
Wrap’s most recent estimate puts UK food waste at 10.2 million tonnes a year; close to half (6 million tonnes) of that comes from households.
When we waste food, we’re wasting the water that grew it, the land that produced it, the energy that transported it and the packaging that protected it.
The good news is that cutting food waste is one of the simplest climate actions you can take at home. It’s not about perfection or dramatic lifestyle changes, but about small habits that really add up when we all do them!
Understanding the difference between ‘Use By’ and ‘Best Before’ dates can be a gamechanger.
A use-by date relates to food safety and is found on fresh meat, fish and dairy. After that date, it’s best not to risk it.
A best-before date is about quality, not safety – this means many foods remain perfectly edible after the date has passed.
Before chucking something out because it’s past its best-before date, take a moment to look at it, smell it and taste a small amount.
Your freezer isn’t just for ice cream and peas – it’s one of your most powerful tools. Freezing food gives you time, which is often all you need.
Bread slices, milk, grated cheese, fresh herbs (with a little bit of olive oil), overripe bananas and more can all be frozen and eaten at a later date.
Keep a bag in your freezer and add onion skins, leek trimmings, carrot ends, celery tops, herb stems, garlic bits and even bones if you eat meat. When it’s full, simmer everything in water with a little seasoning to create a rich homemade stock for soups, risottos and stews. You can even reduce the stock down and freeze it in ice-cube trays for DIY stock cubes.
Turn dry slices of bread into croutons with olive oil and herbs, blitz them into breadcrumbs and freeze them or make a comforting bread and butter pudding.
You can also revive slightly stale bread, especially sourdough, by running it quickly under the tap to dampen the crust. Then all you need to do is place it in a hot oven (around 180°C) for five to 10 minutes; the steam helps restore moisture, magically bringing the loaf back to life.
Think about dedicating a shelf in your fridge to all the food that needs using up – from leftovers and spare veg to half-used ingredients. This visual cue makes it far less likely that food will disappear to the back and be forgotten.
When you’re cooking, check your ‘eat first’ shelf at the start and add those ingredients to whatever you’re making. Half a pepper, some spinach, a lonely courgette or leftover herbs can easily be added into any recipe. Most dishes can handle a few extra veg, and this approach prevents almost-finished food from becoming waste.
Fresh herbs are frequently wasted because they wilt quickly in plastic packaging. Instead, treat them like flowers: trim the stems, place them upright in a glass of water, loosely cover with a bag and store in the fridge. They’ll last days – sometimes even weeks – longer, meaning you’ll actually get to use the whole bunch before it wilts.
Once a week, challenge yourself to cook food that’s already in your cupboards, fridge and freezer. Tins of beans, half-used spices and frozen leftovers will finally get their moment.
This is a brilliant way to reduce waste because it forces you to use what you have before buying more. It also helps clear your ‘eat first’ shelf and creates space in the freezer, all while helping you get more creative in the kitchen.
Finally, one of the easiest ways to stop food waste is to share the food that you know you won’t be able to use. Going away for a few days? Realised you’re not going to be able to finish that veg box? List what you don’t need on the Olio app and pass it on to someone nearby.
This is one of the most immediate and community-focused ways to reduce waste and make a tangible climate impact, and it means food gets eaten instead of binned!
Don’t try to do everything – pick one habit and stick with it for a week. The solution to food waste starts in our kitchens, in our fridges and in the everyday choices we make. When thousands of households waste a little less, the impact is anything but small!
Olio is available to download on the App Store and Google Play
Olio co-founder Tessa Clarke’s journey from the boardroom to the front line of food waste.
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