Birmingham to become a capital for ‘compost culture’ thanks to National Lottery funding

With the average UK family discarding around £1,000 of edible food each year*, a community compost project has received over £1 million of National Lottery funding to create a culture of community composting.

Incredible Surplus CIC, based in Birmingham, is working hard to combat a growing epidemic of food waste in the UK. As part of Food Waste Action Week (17- 23 March), they are urging people to think about the amount of food they allow to go off in their fridge or scrape off their dinner plates and into the bin.

Research from the food waste campaign group behind Food Waste Action Week, WRAP, shows that 6.4 million tonnes of food and drink waste is generated annually from UK households, which equates to 341kg per household of four people – or the weight of a grand piano!

Incredible Surplus, which raises awareness of the problem across the UK, will use funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK, to launch a series of composting programmes across Birmingham to help communities turn food waste into what it describes as “black gold”.

The Compost Culture project will develop a pioneering programme of ‘compost villages’, which will be used to grow fresh, nutritious food locally, as well as educate the community about the power of compost.

Food Waste Action Week takes place every year with the aim of getting more people across the UK to reduce food waste and talk about buying loose fruit and vegetables and buying only what they need.

Elizabeth Rowe, Project Manager at Incredible Surplus, said: “There is a quote that we use from WRAP, as we think it sums up so simply and powerfully the problem of food waste both locally, nationally and internationally: ‘If global food waste were a country, it would be the third biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, behind the USA and China’.

“While Food Waste Action Week is a chance for us to highlight the extent of this problem, I would also like everyone to realise that composting is climate action. It is an activity you can do every day at home that will support the fight against climate change. Every time you throw something compostable into your bin, you are contributing to climate change. With the right techniques, you can significantly reduce the amount you unthinkingly put in your black bin bag.”

Incredible Surplus also works with supermarkets and restaurants to intercept and redistribute food that would otherwise go to waste, providing it to individuals and community organisations on a ‘pay as you feel’ basis. By extending its work into composting, the group is now working with Birmingham’s retail sector to ensure that as little food is wasted as possible.

Separating food waste is set to become a legal requirement for retailers with more than 10 staff – such as supermarkets, cafes, and restaurants - by the end of this month. Failure to do so could lead to a compliance notice from the Environment Agency and potentially a hefty fine.

Elizabeth Rowe says: “Establishing a good 'compost culture' in your organisation is achievable if everyone - from the top to the bottom - is on board. With clear guidance, correct infrastructure from local authorities, and an appreciation from business owners of the extra time needed by their staff time, it should be straightforward for those in the retail and service sector to separate their food waste.”

Mita is one person that has had her eyes opened to the problem of food waste since becoming a volunteer at Incredible Surplus after moving to the UK from her home in Bangladesh.

She said: “Before I used to throw out all the household rubbish, now I collect the leftover food and vegetable peelings in a pot and make compost. Now I don’t buy any compost at all - it’s all homemade. Last year I used it to grow courgette, marrow, potatoes!

“Being part of Incredible Surplus has been incredibly rewarding and taught me so much about the impact of food waste and how I can contribute to a greener and more sustainable future. With the help of this funding, more people like me will be able to roll their sleeves up and get composting.”

Incredible Surplus’ £1m grant is part of The National Lottery Community Fund’s 10-year £100 million Climate Action Fund Programme. Over the last 12 months, The National Lottery Community Fund has distributed £5.7 million through almost 100 grants across the UK to projects that involve tackling the issue of food waste.

Mel Eaglesfield, Funding Strategy, Communications, and Impact Director at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “Food Waste Action Week is a timely reminder that we can all play a part in climate action as part of our every-day lives. Which is why we’re proud to fund a project like Compost Culture, which is having a profoundly positive impact on behaviours within the Birmingham community.

“By working with diverse communities like those found in Birmingham, Climate Action Fund projects are helping to create lasting change for generations to come."

Date published: 18 March, 2025
Region: England (West Midlands)

Notes to Editors

* These figures are for funding awarded from 25^th February 2024 – 28^th June 2024.

About The National Lottery Community Fund

We are the largest non-statutory community funder in the UK – community is at the heart of our purpose, vision and name.

We support activities that create resilient communities that are more inclusive and environmentally sustainable and that will strengthen society and improve lives across the UK.

We’re proud to award money raised by National Lottery players to communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and to work closely with Government to distribute vital grants and funding from key Government programmes and initiatives.  

As well as responding to what communities tell us is important to them, our funding is focused on four key missions, supporting communities to:

1. Come together

2. Be environmentally sustainable

3. Help children and young people thrive

4. Enable people to live healthier lives.

Thanks to the support of National Lottery players, we distribute around £500 million a year through 10,000+ grants and plan to invest over £4bn of funding into communities by 2030. We’re privileged to be able to work with the smallest of local groups right up to UK-wide charities, enabling people and communities to bring their ambitions to life.  

National Lottery players raise over £30 million each week for good causes throughout the UK. Since The National Lottery began in 1994, £47 billion has been raised and more than 670,000 individual grants have been made across the UK - the equivalent of around 240 National Lottery grants in every UK postcode district.

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