Too Good to Go (an app to rescue surplus food)

Too Good To Go is an app that is used to create “surprise bags” from cafés, restaurants, bakeries, and supermarkets. You pay a reduced price, then collect near closing time, to get a real bargain, and the shops also make some extra cash, on food they would otherwise have to bin ‘before midnight’.

Don’t feed garden birds or wildfowl bread that’s stale, hard, or mouldy, it can cause choking. Also skip buttered bread, because fat can smear onto feathers and reduce waterproofing and warmth.

Before cooking, read up on food safety for people and pets (many foods are unsafe near animal friends). Bin allium scraps (onion, leeks, garlic, shallots, chives) and citrus/tomato/rhubarb scraps, as acids could harm compost creatures. It’s okay to put them in food waste bins (made into biogas).

For tinned foods, fully remove lids (put inside) or pop ring-pulls back over holes (and pinch tops closed) before recycling, to avoid wildlife getting trapped.

Olio (another food waste app)

Olio has business pick-ups too, but mostly works for people who have leftover carrots in their veg box, unopened pasta or tins they won’t use (say if going on holiday or into hospital). It suits people who like small, local exchanges and can pick up nearby in containers or insulated bags for chilled food.

Olio also donates non-food items. Avoid sharing items that could be unsafe like old toys. The Lullaby Trust does not recommend donating (or buying) second-hand baby items like mattresses or car seats (and never use cot bumpers). Its site has more info on preventing crib death.