Leicester named UK city with worst food waste management

New data released this week has shown that Leicester stands as Britain’s worst city for food waste awareness.

The city’s residents make a pitiful 30 searches per 100,000 population about kitchen scraps - the lowest rate nationwide. Food waste specialists JS Proputec analysed Google search data across major UK cities to map out where Brits lack knowledge about managing leftover food.

The analysis showed Leicester’s 373,399 residents conducted just 112.50 monthly searches for food waste terms. That’s roughly one search per 3,300 people each month. The yearly totals fell miles behind similar-sized cities.

Rotherham landed second-worst, logging a meagre 32.38 searches per 100,000 residents. Its population of 120,945 collectively performed just 39.17 monthly searches about food waste management.

Nottingham bagged third-worst position. Despite housing nearly 300,000 people, the East Midlands city recorded just 33.63 searches per 100,000 residents. Monthly searches hit a mere 100.83 across the entire city - suggesting little appetite for information about preventing food spoilage.

Poor performers were scattered across England, however, with low food waste awareness spread throughout the country rather than clustering in particular regions, hinting that local council initiatives might affect resident engagement more than broader geographic trends.

In more positive news, Worcester crowned the rankings. The cathedral city’s residents made 146.97 searches per 100,000 population - nearly five times Leicester’s dismal rate. Spa town Cheltenham took second place with 113.41 searches per 100,000 people. Seaside Bournemouth claimed third with 111.76 searches.

Anders Rytter Madsen from JS Proputec said: “These results highlight significant regional disparities in food waste awareness across the UK. The cities with lower search volumes may benefit from targeted educational campaigns about reducing food waste.

“Effective food waste management is crucial not just for environmental sustainability but also for economic reasons. Many UK households waste substantial amounts of food annually, creating both an environmental impact and unnecessary financial burden that could be reduced through improved awareness and better management practices.”

“Local councils might use the findings to direct limited resources toward areas needing help with sustainable food practices. The data maps out where focused educational efforts could help slash mountains of food binned across Britain each year.”