Half a tonne of perfectly good food is being diverted from landfill to the mouths of Dundonians every week thanks to a new community fridge.
The unit, at Miller’s Wynd car park on the city’s Perth Road, features two fridges, a freezer, and storage space for bread and store cupboard foods such as raw vegetables and tins.
Since its launch in early July, 3.5 tonnes of food has been donated by shops and collected by grateful locals.
The initiative has brought in people from all walks of life to collect food that would otherwise have ended up in the bin.
It is led by the Gate Church as part of its carbon saving project, which is seeking to tackle climate change and other waste.
Retail giants Asda, Lidl, Aldi, Tesco, Co-op, and Marks and Spencer have all shown an interest in the fridge and regularly call the group to let it know there is food to collect.
James Anthony, 29, a Gate Church project manager, said the amount of food being handed over and then picked up by locals has been “incredible”.
He said: “The response by all the retailers has been fantastic.
“They are all very supportive and we are very grateful for that.
“If anyone has not already had a chance to check out the fridge we would love to have them pop in.
“We encourage everyone to come in and help themselves.”
The group tries to update via Facebook whenever it has a big delivery to ensure people are aware and can come to collect items as soon as possible.
Some of the biggest donations of food so far have included 100 courgettes and a van full of Alpen cereal.
Any food which cannot fit in to the unit is housed elsewhere and replenished throughout the day.
Andrew Llanwarne, from Friends of the Earth Tayside, said the initiative had both a “social and environmental effect”.
He said: “Anything that prevents food from going to landfill is a great thing.
“The waste decays and produces methane which is very harmful to the environment.”
It was helped by a grant by the Scottish Government’s climate challenge fund.
Certain foods, including raw meat, cooked rice and unpasteurised milk, cannot be accepted for hygiene reasons.
Raw fruit and vegetables and unopened packaged food that is still within its use-by date is accepted.
Full instructions on how to donate and best practice for collecting can be found at the facility and online.
The fridge is open until 8pm on weekdays until 4pm on weekends.
The group is constantly on the lookout for volunteers to help with collections from supermarkets.
To find out how to help out, contact the team via Facebook.
