The results are in!

2025's Food Waste Action Week at Bankside - 35% Decrease in Waste

This March marked food waste action week at LSE Bankside, bringing with it some exciting new stats around the food waste generated by the hall. This national initiative tackles waste from two main sources: before and after it reaches the students. Pre-consumer is surplus food during preparation or in storage. Post-consumer or plate waste is the leftovers on diners plates which then gets discarded. The team works to connect everyday actions to broader environmental issues, aiming to encourage students to adopt sustainable habits

"Each September, we introduce new students to Winnow, explaining how it works and how they can help reduce food waste, this approach has paid off, with students getting on board right away "

Ana Martínez Badía, Residences Catering Manager, LSE 

This year the wider program began back in November 2024 to try and reduce food waste from the Hall through the Winnow System and catering choices. By March 2025, the campus had cut food waste by 35.82% compared to the previous year.

And improvements keep coming

The average waste per meal is now 96.11 grams, down from 149 grams in 2024 and 111 grams in February.

How did this happen? Through a few simple but effective changes. Portion sizes were adjusted to match what people actually eat, and regular food waste audits helped identify areas to improve. Students and staff have also been part of the effort, with awareness campaigns and better waste sorting systems in place, working with food suppliers to prevent over-ordering also made a big difference.

As part of Food Waste Action Week 2025, the campus is celebrating this success with events aimed at educating everyone about food waste. The goal is to keep the momentum going, making the campus even more sustainable in the future.

This project shows that small changes can make a big impact. The result is LSE Bankside is leading the way in reducing food waste for a greener campus!