How you can be a Leeds community food waste hero

Stores run by Tesco in Leeds have partnered with food sharing app and social enterprise OLIO to help reduce food waste and let it be used by families who might be struggling to make ends meet.

OLIO is searching for new food waste heroes, to join its network of 10,000 local volunteers.

Food waste heroes receive full training on how to collect surplus food nearing its sell-by date, to redistribute it locally. New volunteers can sign up via the OLIO website.

The food is taken back to volunteers’ homes, with items immediately uploaded on to the OLIO app, ready to be given away free to people living nearby, or to community groups.

App users can request items and pick them up from an agreed pick-up point, with no-contact and social distancing.

Food waste heroes can, if they wish, keep up to 10 per cent of what they collect from stores. OLIO is registered with the Food Standards Agency which ensures all food is safe to eat.

Rebecca Routledge, 35, a food waste hero from Leeds, said: “I decided to volunteer because I wanted a way to give back, and helping to tackle food waste while meeting people in my community seemed like the perfect way.

"Hopefully this will help us all save a few more pennies as well as the planet.”

OLIO co-founder, Tessa Clarke said: “We can’t do this without the support of people in Leeds. We encourage Leeds residents to sign up to the scheme.”

Become a food waste hero at: https://olioex.com/get-involved/volunteer/food-waste-heroes/