£55,000 will be available to community markets and community pantries.
Zero Waste Scotland is launching a £55,000 Community Fridge Fund to promote and encourage innovative thinking in the redistribution of surplus food to communities around Scotland.
The fund is available to any organisation or project based in Scotland with sustainable and innovative approaches in redistributing or repurposing surplus food, and ultimately preventing it from being wasted.
Example organisations include community markets, community pantries, food processing enterprises.
Community fridges are also an effective way to tackle food waste, which is a key driver of Scotland’s carbon emissions and contributes significantly to climate change.
Redirecting good food from going to waste can help organisations meet their own sustainability ambitions, showcase awareness and responsiveness to customer demand for sustainable action, and help close the gap on Scotland’s ambitious food waste reduction targets.
Evonne Cannan, food systems and circular bioeconomy manager at Zero Waste Scotland, said: “Community settings play an important role in forming positive attitudes and behaviours towards food. They are ideally placed to both support and empower people to make the most of the food we all love, and at Zero Waste Scotland we’re committed to helping them do so.
“The Community Fridge Fund recognises the work done by local hubs within the neighbourhoods they serve. The Fund can help to grow their capacity to store a wider range of foods for longer, and to share best practice in redistributing or repurposing surplus food.
“Collective action is the most impactful, and it’s vital we all work together to reduce food waste and tackle the climate crisis. By operating a community fridge, successful applicants will join a growing network of organisations in Scotland committed to doing just that.”
From October 3rd potential applicants will be able to submit an expression of interest via the Zero Waste Scotland website. Eligible applicants will then be invited by email to submit a full application later in the month, with applications to the fund closing on December 3rd 2023. The funding is expected to be released in early 2024.
