Yep! free food just waiting to be collected. The plight of one volunteer from Lundwood was brought to the attention of the Barnsley Interactive Team. Never one to turn a blind eye to a good story, we decided to check it out, and here's the deal.
"I'm currently volunteering for an up-and-coming free food app called olio and was wondering if the Lundwood and other centres could help me to share this app to help save food and other items going to landfill to save our children's future.
It's a free app to download and volunteers like myself distribute food and other items that would have otherwise gone to landfills.
Not enough people know about this app and I feel if it's shared within our community it not only will help save lots going into landfill unnecessarily., but it will also save lots of people money during this cost of living crisis . I have attached a photograph of the bread I am giving away today outside my home I feel people are too embarrassed to take it, but if the name and purpose of olio were shared more widely people may use the service more"
Sounds great. What's not to like?
According to OLIO, food-waste is one of the biggest problems facing mankind today!
Environmentally catastrophic
"Food waste is really, really bad for the environment. It takes a land mass larger than China to grow the food each year that is ultimately never eaten – land that has been deforested, species that have been driven to extinction, indigenous populations that have been moved, soil that has been degraded – all to produce food that we then just throw away. In addition, food that is never eaten accounts for 25% of all fresh water consumption globally. Gulp.
Not only are all of the resources that went into creating the uneaten food wasted (land, water, labour, energy, manufacturing, packaging, etc), but when food waste goes to landfill, which is where the vast majority of it ends up, it decomposes without access to oxygen and creates methane, which is 23x more deadly than carbon dioxide."
Burning Questions...
So how does the process work?
"Everything is on the app, you volunteer through the app, request items through the app, and then distribute"
Here's a quick video explaining how OLIO works:
So where does free food come from?
"Tescos, Bookers, and Iceland are all supporting this cause currently, and other companies are joining up too. Businesses can sign up via the app"
Is it just food you're distributing?
"It's not just food from stores, you can clear out your own cupboards, sheds, wardrobes etc. Anything which can help us to build a more sustainable world really"
What happens to the free food that's not collected?
"Absolutely nothing goes to waste. Any food not collected goes to a Local Pantry or Food Bank"
So what would you like our readers to do?
"We need to get the word out so more people to use and for more shops to use to cos the amount of food going to landfill is extortionate"
So what would be your advice for those interested and wanting to know more?
"Download the app, and visit the website for further details" (links below)
Want to know more?
Website: https://olioex.com/
So there you have it. OLIO sounds like a great initiative which also supports the 'Sustainable Barnsley' pillar of Barnsley's 2030 Strategy too.
If you have a story to tell or something you'd like to share? Maybe we can help? Contact the Barnsley Interactive Team today: yourvoice@barnsleyi.com
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