A COMMUNITY fridge to avoid food waste has been officially opened.

The ALT Group, in Consett, hopes the new facility will help avoid edible food from being sent landfill and used by local people instead.

The group, which is made up of volunteers, has already set up communal meal and garden projects.

Director Terri Lee-Shield said: “We are committed to helping local people and our environment and diverting food from landfill waste to a person who needs it is a big step in the right direction.

“It is time to start solving some big problems in our society and this is just one of the positive solutions we have found to help.”

The group had previously signed up with Fareshare and Foodcloud to collect unsold food from local Tesco stores for its community meal at Blackhill Club.

Volunteers became increasingly aware of how much food was wasted on a daily basis and could not keep up with the demand of redistribution of the waste.

Food Durham contacted The ALT Group last year and asked if they would like to be involved in opening a community fridge in Consett.

The launch follows a successful trial in February and the project opened its doors to the public on Saturday with the help of North-West Durham MP Laura Pidcock.

She said: “It was shocking to hear that 25 per cent of household waste that our local council refuse teams collect is food waste.

“Much of that waste could have been donated to causes such as the community fridge, who could then offer it to those in our community who need it most.

“Also, if you are in need of food, please go and get it, it’s free.”

Consett Community Fridge, at 6 John Street Square, Consett, DH8 5AR, is open Monday and Wednesday 3pm to 5pm, Saturday and Sunday 1pm to 3pm.