Sign up now for south Leeds ‘Junk Food’ scheme

Acclaimed Leeds charity ‘The Real Junk Food Project’ (TRJFP) are set to establish a year-round ‘freegan’ box scheme in Beeston, which will see good quality ‘junk’ food delivered into the community each week – and they are now calling for local people to sign up to make it happen.

Get yourself a weekly crate of good quality ‘junk’ food: feed bellies not bins!

This will give south Leeds residents the chance to pick up a weekly family-sized crate of food – featuring a mix of luxury products, fresh fruit and veg, snacks, staples, drinks, and more. The products are all so-called ‘junk’ food: items that were needlessly on their way to landfill, but have been ‘rescued’ by TRJFP, to be diverted to good homes.

Similar much-loved schemes are already running elsewhere in Leeds, and far beyond. Following a successful test scheme over the summer, this permanent project is now set to launch this autumn, with participants able to pick up their food each Monday afternoon and evening, from the Hillside Centre in Beeston/Holbeck.

Although TRJFP provide the food for free, they have considerable operational costs to cover (namely admin, storage, assembly, and transport) – so participants are required to pay £12 per week, and can donate more if they wish.

To log your interest in joining the scheme, or to find out more, email: freegan_box_project_leeds@hotmail.com. Places are limited, so sign up now. Discounts are available for multiple sign-ups.

Local resident and campaigner Ed Carlisle, who is supporting the development of the scheme here in south Leeds, commented:

“More and more of us are becoming aware of the daft levels of waste in our society, and trying to tackle it in our lives. This project presents an easy way to get good food, right here in our community – whilst saving money, and taking a positive step for the planet. The pilot scheme in the summer was great, and I really hope we can now make it a long-term success.”

The Real Junk Food Project (TRJFP) has been running since 2013. It was set up in Leeds by Hunslet lad Adam Smith, and now runs nation-wide, aiming to put an end to needless food waste. The Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP) – a UK charity and campaign body – estimates that 1.9m tons of food is wasted by the UK food industry every year, with about a fifth of that (400,000 tonnes) suitable for redistribution. TRJFP – with their motto of ‘feed bellies not bins’ – have so far shared an estimated 1,167,000+ kg (1,167+ tonnes) of food with over 44,000 people. For more info, visit their website, or their Leeds FB page; for more info on the ‘Freegan’ Box Project, click here.

2 Replies to “Sign up now for south Leeds ‘Junk Food’ scheme”

  1. I emailed the scheme to join last week after reading about it in SLL but they responded saying they were no longer doing it at Hillside because of lack of interest. Come on Beeston and Holbeck people this is a great idea!

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