Community Fridge

The Idea

Community Fridges are communal places where surplus food is shared with the local community by local businesses and individuals. So far, they've helped thousands of people connect to their communities, access nutritious food, save money and reduce waste. They are a proven way of stopping good food from winding up in the trash. Surplus food is provided by local businesses or members of the public, and is then available for collection by people who need it. Community Fridges are housed in accessible public spaces, making surplus perishable food freely available to all community members. Community Fridges work on the honor system.

Over 3 months, one Community Fridge can:

• Redistribute 12 tons of food waste,
• Save households and community groups over $10,000 worth of food
• Provide local employment opportunities.

Community Fridges are also known as Solidarity Fridges and Honesty Fridges. They have been successfully introduced in Spain, Germany, the UK, and Ireland, and are starting to take hold in the U.S. Each fridge operates in different ways depending on local circumstances. Demand for Community Fridges has been growing very quickly and Hubbub, based in London has recently launched The Community Fridge Network to support new Fridges and build a supportive, collaborative network of people to share resources and experiences. For US fridges, they will help to navigate local laws around health and safety and provide you with as much knowledge and information as possible to help get your Fridge off the ground.

Find out exactly what's involved in our 5 Step Guide.