When was the last time you spoke to your neighbour, besides regularly asking them to collect your Amazon parcel? In the past we might have asked to borrow a cup of sugar but today we more often than not, have too much food in the house.

What if, instead of the unavoidable clean-up/chuck away that squanders both your food and money, you could share that surplus food with your neighbours and others who might want or need it. Enter OLIO, a food sharing app that enables people to connect with their community and reduce waste.

Whether you’re an individual, café, restaurant or business, by becoming a Food Waste Hero you can link up with others on the app and distribute the food you won’t eat. Simply take a picture of the food or other produce you want to get rid of, upload it to the app and provide people with pick up details. All products on the app are free, or at least 50% less than retail price, as the creators want to keep the emphasis on sharing surplus food not on making a profit.

Once you’re using the app, you can switch the notifications on so that if you walk past a café or bakery that is about to close, you might get an alert to say they’re giving away their leftover food from that day.

With over 1/3 of all food produced globally going to waste and more than a million people accessing food banks in the UK last year according to OLIO, ideas like this are actively seeking to, and increasingly helping to, solve the growing problem of both waste and declining community spirit.

Visit OLIO’s website to find out more.