KE ynsHaM C oMMuNITY fRIDgE

Community fridges are a way in which local communities can organise themselves to reduce food waste by collecting surplus food from local businesses and storing it in a public location where the food can be made available to anyone who needs it. The aim is to reduce the amount of surplus food that would otherwise be sent to landfill. The food is available to anyone who wants it – there is no eligibility criteria. Over 50 such fridges operate nationally and it has been the shared experience of those involved, that the system is fairly self-regulating – those who can make best use of the food benefit most, thereby helping to address food poverty as well as helping communities to reduce surplus food sent to landfill.

In the last quarter of 2022, Keynsham Community Fridge saved 2.7 tonnes (2,700 kg) of food from going to landfill, which is the equivalent of 5.1 tonnes (5,100 kg) of CO2.

Keynsham Community Fridge purchased a 372 litre glass fronted storage refrigerator and separate storage rack thanks to the generosity of Keynsham Rotary Club early in 2020. This has been installed downstairs in Temple Street Canteen, (20 Temple Street, Keynsham, BS31 1EH). Temple Street Canteen is open 8.30 – 3.00pm Monday – Friday, 10.00 – 3.00pm Saturday. Anyone can walk in and take what they need from the fridge and from the shelves.

The effective operation of this system depends upon a pool of reliable and well-trained volunteers who share the workload of collecting food from supermarkets and other possible venues and delivering it to Temple Street Canteen We also accept donations from local allotments and gleaning operations.

We are currently looking for more regular donations. If you are part of an organisation that has access to surplus food, please get in touch with us via our Facebook page. Due to food hygiene regulations, we can only accept fruit, vegetables, bread and bakery items - also dairy and washed vegetables within their use by dates. We can also accept ambient food (tinned, dried etc.). We cannot accept fresh meat, fish or other perishable items. All items gratefully received!

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