Find out why food waste is bad for the planet

Summerhill Academy, Monday, 16 March 2026
30 points 222 pupils Explorer KS2, KS3, KS4

Our school Eco Committee met with the Eco lead to talk about the amount of food waste during breakfast club and lunchtimes and research why this was a problem. The Eco Committee then led an assembly for the rest of the school to raise awareness about food waste and the impact it has on the environment. They explained what food waste is, why it is a problem, and how it contributes to climate change and landfill waste.

During the assembly, the Eco Committee shared practical strategies that pupils could use to reduce food waste, e.g. asking for smaller portions if they felt the serving was too much, trying new foods before deciding they did not like them, and choosing a packed lunch if they did not like the school dinner menu offer.

Activity description

Did you know that food waste is one of the greatest sources of greenhouse gases?

Or that primary and secondary schools in the UK waste over 80,000 tonnes of food every year (that's the same as 8000 blue whales).

Tackling food waste in your school is a great way to cut your carbon emissions! This linked presentation provides an overview of why food waste is such a huge environmental problem. It can be run either as a one hour activity for an eco club or teachers can use the linked worksheets for 2-3 sessions of class work.