Oxfordshire County Council have recently launched a new initiative to reduce food waste in restaurants, a 100% recyclable, biodegradable box that you can use to take your leftovers home. As someone who enjoys reheating leftover takeaways for breakfast the next day (I have no shame!), this is a brilliant idea and it’s about bloody time.

It’s been available in America for years and why shouldn’t it be? You pay for a meal, a chef has lovingly prepared it for you and then if you can’t finish it, it gets chucked in the bin! There is and never has been any shame in asking to take it home, despite those childhood memories of “you can’t leave the table until you’ve cleared your plate!”

Restaurants can sign up to the scheme on the County Council website, then they’ll receive free boxes and a Supporter’s Pack. Diners will be able to identify where they can take their leftovers home by a logo on the restaurant website or by accessing the website where a full list of participants is available. Staff in participating restaurants will be trained to ask you if you’d like a Take Me Home box too.

Obviously there will still be some waste of foods that can’t be reheated well, in which case diners are advised to order smaller portions and restaurants will be trained in how to manage that waste more efficiently.

So which restaurants are taking part? A full, updated list is available on their website (www.toogood-towaste.co.uk/oxfordshire) but here’s a quick rundown of who has signed up so far…

• The Old Bank Hotel
• The Eagle and Child
• The One
• The Old Bookbinders
• The Dew Drop Inn
• Cibo
• The Fishes
• Turl St Kitchen
• The Slug and Lettuce
• Cafe Coco
• Kazbah
• La Cucina

Oxfordshire County Council hope to have 100 restaurants signed up to receive 250 boxes and if you know a favourite dining spot that could benefit, then get them to take part! And if they don’t have the boxes, ask for the leftovers anyway!