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 * Welcome
 * About us
 * Hub Zero
 * Climate emergency
 * Saved food
 * FAQ
 * Cost of living
 * Thank you

 * Welcome
 * About us
 * Hub Zero
 * Climate emergency
 * Saved food
 * FAQ
 * Cost of living
 * Thank you

Weston-super-Mare's

Community Fridge @ Hub Zero


Visit us

Tuesday: 11am - 2pm

Thursday: 11am - 2pm

Friday: 11am - 2pm

Saturday 12pm - 2pm




Closed Monday & Wednesday




Please do not queue outside the unit before opening times






The Sovereign, High Street, BS23 1HL



communityfridgewsm@gmail.com




www.facebook.com/HubZeroWSM




If you would like to support the Fridge of Free Stuff, you can donate here via
PayPal


About us


The aim of the Fridge of Free Stuff is to share surplus food within the
community to reduce food waste going to landfills.




Hub Zero is a space to hold climate and sustainability-themed events. Including
opening the space to be used by climate change groups in Weston-super-Mare. More
about this further below.




The project is made possible through the collaborative efforts of all the
volunteers, WsM Helping People, For All Healthy Living Centre, The Sovereign and
North Somerset Council who all worked with Weston-super-Mare Town Council’s
Community Resilience team to bring the 'fridge and Hub Zero' to fruition.





There is also a list of food suppliers keen to support, charities and
organisations like FareShare, and other local retailers that have a surplus
supply of food that would otherwise be thrown away - By making this food
available to everyone we play our part to stop this waste.





The food on offer is fresh, free and local-sourced.





In the future, we'd love the Fridge of Free Stuff to play an even bigger part in
the community. We hope to set up recipe exchanges, a climate change information
hub and work with food clubs that are being set up alongside the fridge.





Join us! We have a team of volunteers who assist with the running of the
community fridge. If you have some free time, enjoy meeting new people and want
to play a part in the fight against climate change, please apply with this link:
http://bttr.im/zin8t










Since Weston-super-Mare's community fridge opened, the volunteers have heard
very positive feedback from customers who have shared:













I have only spent £2.44 on shopping since you opened; you have provided
everything else




I look forward to coming around to see what you have available on the day




You make me use my brain about how I can use the

food on offer




If it weren’t for you, I would never eat any fresh

vegetables and fruit



Hub Zero Event Space


The Fridge of Free Stuff moved to a bigger space at The Sovereign in March 2023.
The extra room is being used for ‘Hub Zero’ - a space to hold climate and
sustainability-themed events, workshops and projects.




The space is also open for climate and environmental groups across Weston to
use.




As part of Weston-super-Mare Town Council's climate commitments, made after
announcing a climate emergency in 2019, fortnightly educational talks and
workshops will be programmed on Saturday mornings at 10.00am.





Hosted by local community and climate change experts, some of these talks will
be filmed for broadcast on the Town Council's social media and website, as well
as the Fridge of Free Stuff Facebook page.





In addition to these talks the space is open for community meetings and
workshops based around the climate crisis, low-carbon diets and sustainability
in an effort to empower the community to develop local solutions to making the
transition to net zero and a climate-resilient way of living.








If you would like to use the space please email:




communityfridgewsm@gmail.com






















Cli mate emergency


Why give away free food to everyone?




Through analysis carried out by Frome Town Council in 2019, for their community
fridge, the potential impact is clear:





 * The average community fridge redistributes around 500 kg of food per month,
   which equates to about 2.1 tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions. The
   busiest fridges see around 4 tonnes of food passing through each month which
   equates to a saving of almost 17 tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions.
   
 * Over a year the average fridge will have avoided over 25 tonnes of greenhouse
   gas emissions – meaning that across the UK network of community fridges an
   estimated total of 1,625 tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions are avoided.
   
 * Food waste is generally overlooked as a big environmental issue yet it is
   responsible for 8-10% of the total human-caused greenhouse gas emissions
   globally.
   
 * When food waste is disposed of it breaks down to release a gas that is around
   50% methane and 50% carbon dioxide. Globally this contributes up to 70
   million tonnes of methane each year – more than from coal mining and natural
   gas leaks combined, and almost as much as is emitted by farm animals.
   
 * Up to 35% of food in high-income economies is thrown away by consumers.
   
 * In the UK we waste 5 million tonnes of edible food every year.
   





















By making this food available to everyone we play our part to stop this waste.
And if you’ve had a tough week on your purse strings, it also lightens the load.
You might see a pineapple going for grabs, and think ‘I haven’t had a pineapple
in ages’ pop it under your arm and that one thing can make a whole day.













Saved food




Since our first trial opening in November 2021, the Fridge of Free Stuff has so
far saved 66.5 tonnes of C02e, the equivalent of 97,299 meals.




For up-to-date information, head to our Facebook page


Frequently asked questions




Q. What is the Fridge of Free Stuff?


A. The Fridge of Free Stuff is part of a wider Community Fridge network across
the UK. First trialled in 2016, there are now hundreds of fridges helping
thousands of people to connect, access nutritious food, save money and reduce
waste to combat climate change.


Q. How does it work?


A. We are a volunteer-run store providing food free of charge which otherwise
would likely end up in landfill. Throughout the week, our volunteers travel
around Weston-super-Mare to collect surplus food - mostly from supermarkets and
local businesses. The food is then weighed and sorted before being displayed in
the Fridge for the public.





We are also able to take surplus donations from allotments and households, for
more information on what we can accept, click here.





Q. Who is the fridge for?


A. Anyone! The aim of a community fridge is to reduce food waste and redirect
surplus food from landfill. Like all other fridges across the network, The
Fridge of Free Stuff is open to all, and we encourage everyone to come in and
play their part.


Q. Is it like a food bank, do I need a voucher?


A. Community fridges are very different to food banks. The aim is to reduce food
waste, so it is surplus food, rather than donations that we collect. We love
that we are able to help those in need by providing a way to save money on food,
but there is no referral or voucher necessary to use the fridge.


Q. Who runs the Fridge?


A. The fridge has been made available by Weston-super-Mare Town Council and
their partners, but is entirely run by volunteers with a passion for reducing
food waste and combatting climate change.


Q. Can I drop-off food items from home?


A. Although the majority of food we receive is from supermarkets, we are able to
accept donations from allotments and households too! However, we do ask that all
packaged food is in good condition and within 2 days of its use by date.




We can accept homegrown produce, but you will be required to fill out a small
form to confirm it's fresh and grown naturally without any nasty
pesticides/fertilisers. We cant accept any windfall fruit, frozen or cooked
food.




For more information on what we can accept, click here.


Q. Do you accept donations?


A. To continue operating, the fridge relies on grantfunding and public
donations.




We welcome all donations towards the running of the Fridge of Free Stuff - you
can drop it into our donation point in store, Via this link or contact us by
email at communityfridgewsm@gmail.com




We are actively looking for local businesses to sponsor our fridges too, if you
are a local business, or you know someone that might be interested, let us know!




Cost of living support





The Fridge of Free Stuff is intended to help combat the climate emergency we
face, but as we know, the cost of living crisis is affecting many people.




Although we understand it's of great benefit to those in need. We don't
advertise ourselves for this purpose as we can't be depended upon in the same
way as a food bank.




There are lots of places where you can find help with support though - here are
some resources and helpful links:




Wheels to Work West helps people overcome barriers to travelling to work,
training and skills opportunities.




North Somerset Council offer cost-of-living advice and guidance





Citizens Advice North Somerset housing, debt and consumer rights. Advice on
money, offers free, independent, confidential and impartial advice.




Martin Lewis Money Saving Expert cost of living survival kit – over 90
money-saving tips and support available from central government.




Residents needing additional short-term support through the welfare provision
scheme can find more information on the council's website at

www.n-somerset.gov.uk/wps. Applications can be made by phone on 01934 888 035 or
0800 138 5665 (10am to 4pm Monday to Friday).

































Food clubs, Food banks and 'reuse' groups across

Weston-super-Mare:




The Stable Food Shop

Weston-super-Mare FoodBank

Weston Food Clubs

The Purple Sheep Pantry

North Somerset Reduce, Reuse & Recycle

Community Scrapstore

Weston re-makes it

The Other Place

















With thanks to:


Our volunteers. Without you, there would be no fridge!

Thank you to our suppliers:





 * Aldi
   
 * Lidl
   
 * M&S
   
 * Sainsburys
   




If you are a café, food store or supplier with regular surplus food

we'd love to add you to this list too.




and thank you to our partners:


 * Co-op
 * Booker
 * ASDA

 * Puxton Farm Shop
 * Waitrose