RESIDENTS across the borough are to receive leaflets of tips to cut waste as Trafford Council bids to pull people out of poverty.

One Trafford, the partnership between the council and contractor Amey, thinks residents can cut food bills by up to £60 a month.

The tips included in the leaflets, which are to arrive in the next couple of weeks, include ways to cut waste such as planning a shopping list in advance, and using the fridge or freezer efficiently.

One Trafford also hopes to help the environment, given wasted food means wasted energy growing, harvesting, packaging and transporting it.

Cllr Stephen Adshead, the council's executive member for environmental and regulatory services, said: "Sometimes it can be hard and costly to think of what to cook for lunch or dinner each day. With the cost of living increasing, we are sharing tips to keep food fresher for longer, and meal ideas to help families save up to £60 per month.

"A recent study showed in Trafford, food waste makes up 25 per cent of the waste collected in the grey bin and isn’t recycled. This means the resources gone into getting this food on our plates is ultimately wasted.

"We all have an important role to play in fighting climate change in Trafford and looking at the food on our plates is a good place to start. By changing our habits to reuse, repurpose and recycle food, we can reduce our carbon footprint and minimise what we waste.

"So if it’s raw, cooked or gone off, and you can’t use it, recycle it all in your green bin. This includes bones, eggshells and the unopened pack of ham that went out of date. Just remember to remove it from its packaging before you put it in the green bin."

For information on what to recycle in the green bin, go to trafford.gov.uk/greenbin. Or for a free caddy and a roll of compostable bags for food waste, go to trafford.gov.uk/report-it.