The Christmas season is upon us. And whilst it represents a time for celebration, family and friendship, it’s often a time of high consumption when it comes to food.

Not that long ago the only post-Christmas commitment we, as a society, had, was to use the New Year to get fit and lose what we might have gained during the festivities. However as society becomes more aware of its waste footprint I believe that we all have a responsibility to think about food waste, both in terms of minimising it where possible and ensuring that it is deposited in the correct manner once the Christmas lunch is over.

The Independent, using data provided by Unilever, reported that in 2014 4.2 million UK Christmas dinners were wasted. This amounted to 263,000 turkeys, 7.5 million mince pies, 740,000 slices of Christmas pudding, 17.2 million brussel sprouts, 11.9 million carrots and 11.3 million roast potatoes.

This is a phenomenal amount by any standard and something that, in the true Christmas spirit, should give us pause for thought. After all, given the amount of positive and productive uses for food waste and the provisions local authorities now put in place to enable the UK to deposit it correctly, there really is no excuse.

As part of our commitment to tackling food waste, we’ve just announced a partnership with Italian eco-friendly container manufacturer Mattiussi Ecologia. From food scraps kitchen caddies and kerbside sorted waste collection solutions to indoor pre-sorting, home composting and outdoor recycling containers, Mattuissi’s food-focused products are now exclusively available to the UK through Egbert Taylor.

So, now that we’re ending 2016 having partnered with another highly regarded waste container manufacturer and have made a wider selection of food waste recycling containers available to the UK public, all that remains is for me to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Mark Jenkins, Sales Director at Egbert Taylor.