Just a third of people in Norfolk are aware that food waste contributes to climate change, new figures have revealed.

Eastern Daily Press: #BananaDrama campaign display with message '1.4m edible bananas are binned every day in the UK. Picture: Hubbub.#BananaDrama campaign display with message '1.4m edible bananas are binned every day in the UK. Picture: Hubbub. (Image: Archant)

A poll of 1,050 residents in the county carried out by survey consultants Censuswide this month found that only 36pc know of the impact that throwing away food has on the environment, though two thirds say they find throwing away food that could have been eaten frustrating.

It is estimated that around a third of food produced in the world goes to waste, with East Anglian households binning £810 worth every year on average.

Rotting food produces methane, a greenhouse gas far more powerful than carbon dioxide at warming the Earth.

To combat this, Food Savvy - a two-year campaign led by environmental charity Hubbub, Suffolk Waste Partnership and Norfolk County Council - is urging residents to help tackle the issue in the region.

Trewin Restorick, chief executive of Hubbub, said: "Food waste is a vital issue to tackle; it not only impacts our wallets, it's a massive contributor to climate change, responsible for 11pc of all greenhouse gas emissions.

"The enthusiastic response residents have given Food Savvy so far has been fantastic and we're now keen to get even more people involved in the campaign's second year. We'd encourage anyone wanting to do their bit to reduce food waste to visit the website for more tips and information."

Food Savvy aims to educate people about the environmental and monetary impact of throwing away eatables, while hoping to encourage a 20pc reduction of food waste by 2025.

Successful activities so far include community cooking programme Kitchen Love, family events Banana Drama and Festive Freeze and Halloween Pumpkin Rescue.

Kate Murrell, waste reduction and recycling manager at Norfolk County Council, said: "At the events across Norfolk over the past year we've found people have a real desire to cut food waste. Our Banana Drama tour attracted nearly 2,000 households while more than 210 people have already completed the Food Savvy Challenge at home."

Helen White from Love Food Hate Waste said: "The food waste fight is not only an incredibly worthy cause, but it's also an increasingly urgent one.

"The scale of the problem is huge, and the way to tackle it is together."