Community Fridges are accessible public spaces where local businesses and residents share surplus food that would otherwise go to waste, creating stronger communities whilst reducing environmental impact.
"Welcome to the Community Fridge Network on ChangeX! We want to support as many people as possible to prevent good food going to waste by setting up a Community Fridge in their local area. Here you can find all the information and resources you need and we're looking forward to helping you get up and running! Once you have completed the starter application, Hubbub will send you a digital Tool Kit with a wealth of resources to help you get set up." - Tessa Tricks, The Community Fridge Network
1-3 days per week to ensure smooth daily operations.
Find Partner Organisation
Identify a legally registered organisation to lead your Community Fridge project. This could be a community centre, local charity, food business, supermarket, school, or any passionate organisation willing to help overcome administrative obstacles.
The partner organisation provides essential public liability insurance coverage, which existing fridges have found straightforward to include under current policies at no extra cost. While the lead organisation handles legal and financial responsibilities, they don't need involvement in daily operations. You can limit their liability by maintaining professional fridge management standards.
Contact your local Environmental Health Officer early for food safety guidance specific to your area.
Select Your Location
Choose a covered, secure location with high footfall and existing community activity. The space needs supervision to minimise misuse—areas with nearby workers or CCTV coverage work well.
Consider the surrounding area's potential for community connection. Plan space for additional elements like a freezer for larger surplus quantities, adjacent tables for scales and logging forms, shelves for non-refrigerated items, waste bins, and wall space for community noticeboards and recipe sharing.
Ensure accessibility for all community members, considering physical, social, and religious barriers. Ideally, locate near spaces suitable for associated activities like cooking workshops or food cooperatives.
Build Local Support
Engage key stakeholders including your Local Authority and Environmental Health department, local food retailers, supermarkets, cafés, bakeries, community groups, food banks, and local press.
When approaching businesses for surplus food donations, emphasise you're providing a valuable service by reducing their waste disposal costs and supporting their zero-waste goals. Connect them with personal stories about community impact. Building trust takes time—be patient and persistent whilst finding the right decision makers.
Coordinate with other local food redistribution efforts to avoid overwhelming businesses with requests. Offer trial periods with specific pickup schedules and leave written information for managers.
Recruit & Train Volunteers
Develop a volunteer team to support fridge operations through local outreach for donors, food collection and logging, fridge cleaning and monitoring, community promotion, event organisation, and social media management.
Create comprehensive induction sessions covering your fridge's story and purpose, key stakeholder information, equipment operation and paperwork, health and safety procedures, cleaning schedules, messaging guidelines, marketing approaches, impact measurement, and feedback mechanisms.
Provide volunteer handbooks, role descriptions, contact sheets, and rotation schedules. Training helps volunteers feel equipped for challenges and increases long-term commitment to the project.
Ongoing Management
Establish systems for daily operations, including health and safety protocols, maintenance schedules, appropriate signage, promotional materials, impact measurement, recipe cards, and communications strategies.
Monitor fridge usage patterns and adjust collection schedules accordingly. Maintain relationships with food donors through regular communication and appreciation. Track and share impact data including food quantities redistributed, community engagement levels, and environmental benefits.
Use the fridge as a platform for broader community activities like cooking workshops, nutrition education, or environmental campaigns. Regularly evaluate and adapt your approach based on community feedback and changing local needs.
