Household Food Waste in Scotland 2021-22

Food waste is a major challenge facing Scotland, making up over 6% of our carbon footprint. The ‘Household Food Waste in Scotland 2021-22’ report set out to quantify the issue of household food waste, considering the reasons for the creation of food waste, alongside its financial and environmental impact

This report feeds in to our ‘Food for Thought’ initiative, launched in 2025. It aims to present the streams in which food waste is found, reasons for discarding, food waste occasions, financial cost of household food waste and the associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.  

The report found that in 2021/22, 460,000 tonnes of food and drink was generated by households in Scotland,equating to 174kg per household. The report also found:

• 73% of food waste was classified as edible parts.
• 87% of food waste was collected by local authorities, 11% was disposed of via the sewer and 2% was home composted.
• Fresh vegetables and salads were the highest contributing food category, with 120,000 tonnes wasted.  
• Potatoes were the most discarded food type overall.
• 40% of food waste was disposed of due to not being used in time.
• 40% of food waste was disposed of during evening meals.