Dolphin Shopping Centre in Poole is aiming to help the environment by cutting down waste as well as assist those in need with its new food bank.
Situated outside the Marks & Spencer store, the shopping centre hopes to encourage people to donate unwanted tinned and packaged food.
This is a new initiative created by the Dolphin to address Poole’s environmental footprint.
Volunteers from Faithworks Wessex, a local charity aiming to help people with isolation and financial difficulties, will collect the donations and deliver them Longfleet Church Food Bank each week.
“We’re delighted to have introduced the Dolphin’s first food bank,” Dolphin Shopping Centre manager John Grinnell said.
“We’ve been working on this for a while and want to encourage people to donate edible food that would otherwise go to landfill.
“Every year in the UK, approximately 15 million tonnes of food and drink is thrown away and nearly half of this is perfectly good to eat.
“We are looking to introduce small steps in order to address this staggering statistic.”
Dorset Waste Partnership reported that food waste fills up a fifth of Dorset’s rubbish bins, despite many residents attempting to sort their waste.
It added that all the waste mixed with food then has to be sent away for expensive treatment or to a landfill, creating harmful gases and costing the council more in tax.
“Food banks are at the forefront of the day-to-day fight against food waste and over-production,” Grinnell said.
“Thanks to your kind donations, edible food that would have otherwise gone to landfill, creating Co2 emissions and increasing water and energy wastage, will be given to those most in need.”
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