Barbecue tips

Traditional barbecues can be wasteful. But with a bit of planning over travel, cooking and menus, yours can be lean, clean and considerate.

• Location, location, location
• Ditch the disposables
• Charcoal: the cleanest way to grill
• Clever preparation
• Be an energy-aware cook
• After you've finished cooking

Location, location, location...

Plan ahead and choose a venue that your family and friends can all travel to efficiently - cycling, using public transport or by organising car pools. You could also encourage people to use a local car-sharing scheme.

• CarShare.com
• National CarShare
• Lift Share

Ditch the disposables

Paper plates and plastic cutlery are wasteful and expensive in the long run. Just use your standard plates and cutlery. And while you're thinking about the kitchen, here are eight more resource-saving ideas.

Charcoal: the cleanest way to grill

The three most-used barbecue fuels are charcoal (which is our recommendation), LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) and electricity.

• Charcoal is made from wood and only releases as much carbon dioxide (CO₂) as it absorbed while growing. However, there are energy costs associated with cutting and transporting the wood, and making the charcoal. And it does release soot and particulates into the atmosphere, which is particularly an issue in urban areas.
  • Choose charcoal that has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and is produced locally from sustainable sources. And go for the lump type rather than briquettes, as they contain chemical additives.
• LPG is a fossil fuel, and when it burns it releases CO₂ but emissions of other pollutants are lower than charcoal so it is better from the point of view of air quality.
• Electricity comes from power stations that mostly burn fossil fuels (coal and gas). It has the highest CO₂ emissions of all and is also an expensive method of cooking.

Clever preparation

• Buy locally sourced food and seasonal fruit and veg. Thoughtful shopping can cut down on the miles your food has travelled.
• Wash your vegetables and salad in a bowl rather than under a tap. This will cut down on water waste and you can use the leftover water to feed your house and garden plants.
• If you need to defrost food, leave it in the fridge overnight rather than defrosting in the microwave.
• If you're asking your guests to bring food, make sure everyone brings something different to avoid unwanted left-overs.
• Keep your food covered as much as possible when it's outside. If you pop any left-overs in the fridge they should be fine to eat the next day.

Find out about the environmental footprint of different foods

Be an energy-aware cook

• If you're cooking with pots and pans, keep the lids on to save energy.
• Once the main part of the grilling is done, use the embers to cook dessert. Try bananas and chocolate wrapped in foil.

After you've finished cooking

• Douse the grill when you've finished cooking and save any leftover charcoal for next time.
• If it starts to get chilly outside, put a jumper on. Don't use a patio heater!
• Don't throw away your left-overs. Put any scraps that can't be re-used into a composter, and visit the Love Food Hate Waste website for useful tips on saving and re-cooking food.

Find out more

• Read our advice on reducing household waste
• Look at eight resource-saving kitchen ideas
• Read about the environmental footprint of different foods
• Visit the Love Food Hate Waste website