At home, I was no stranger to chucking away a carrot which was gingerly drooping, or forgoing crisps a few days beyond their ‘best before’. I’d regularly quibble with my parents about feeding me past-its-best bread, and would not-so-secretly check the food packaging of various items, to ensure I wasn’t being deceived into eating out of date apples or bacon which had been opened for longer than its recommended three days.

I don’t know where this pedantry stems from. I’ve never once had food-poisoning, glugged sour milk, or died from expired cucumber. My Grandma has – accidentally, obviously – fed me caterpillars in home-grown broccoli and mouldy bread on two different occasions, and I’m still here to tell the tale.

Now at uni, where I’m fully, solely responsible for my food expenditures, I am personally culpable for my food and therefore my food waste. I can’t hide behind my family’s food habits or latch on to their composting, recycling and general conscientiousness. With an increased awareness of the price of food, I’ve learnt not to chuck wilting peppers or suspect houmous. Wasting food for me is not only a financial issue, but also a moral issue – I just can’t justify excessive food wastage.

"Wasting food for me is not only a financial issue, but also a moral issue – I just can’t justify excessive food wastage"

According to FoodCycle, over 15 million tonnes of food are wasted from plough to plate in the UK, and over £700 worth of food is thrown out of the average home each year. The world produces 1.5 times enough food feed every person on the planet, yet more than 900 million people don’t get enough to eat. Within the last month, the Guardian covered how Britons throw away 1.4m edible bananas each day, amounting to £80m worth every year, sometimes simply because of a minor bruise or black mark. A third of all food in the UK is thrown away and as students: we can’t ethically or financially afford to carry this on.

Of course, there are steps to be taken on a personal level. Don’t buy too much food and don’t needlessly throw away items that can still be used. Invest in fresh-for-longer food storage bags (a nifty hand-me-down from my Grandma- yes that same Grandma) to help keep your food – the clue’s in the name – fresher for longer. Use Tupperware to keep foods from perishing, freeze leftovers where possible and always aim to recycle or compost unavoidable waste.

But, on a larger scale, the solution to food wastage seems best tackled by food sharing. Supermarkets nationwide are now donating their unsold food to charities to reduce waste and foster a more communal spirit. Food sharing can work before or after food bought and, in university, friends can shop and cook together to reduce their overall food costs, or pass on unwanted food to the community after initial purchase.

OLIO, an app praised as tinder for food, is one food distribution method. OLIO’s own research found that over a third of people feel “physically pained” when throwing food out, and this system reduces the need for wastage. If you don’t want to lob out your half-used pasta sauce, chuck your unused chocolate frosting, or rid yourself of those raspberries you thought you wanted but now hate the look of, then OLIO gives them a new home. Users can log their unwanted food items and then those interested can organize when to collect them for free.

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However, in a university system, intra-collegiate food sharing is even easier. Take Newnham Food Sharing, a Facebook group where Newnhamites exchange unwanted foods. The rules are simple: everything must be edible (even if it’s beyond its best before date) and sharing operates on a first come, first served basis. Everything from leftover fruit, unwanted ginger and instant soups to tortilla chips, custard tarts and various cheeses are posted, and then the recipients are pidged their new free goods.

This system of sharing food within college is so very easy, and requires so little maintenance. The group, once set up, moderates itself – deals are struck between students without involvement of admins, and delivery or collection is easy within a college building. So, next time you start binning those eggs or trashing those tomatoes think of this; one man’s trash, is another man’s treasure – especially where free food is involved