A NEW free fridge project is putting fresh food back on the kitchen table in a bid to dramatically reduce waste.

Belville Community Garden's campaign has stopped 9.2 kilos of fresh fruit and veg from needlessly ending up in landfill in the last four months alone.

The eco team are filling fridges placed in schools and community centres with perishables handed over by supermarkets.

Now to help assist their efforts the project has produced an Inverclyde Food Map setting out the locations of all community fridges and where free food is available.

Garden manager Laura Reilly said: "We can't believe how successful the project has been so far.

"We are well on the way to overtaking our target, which was 15 kilos in a year.

"We are nearly there with only four months gone.

"Our aim is to put the fridges into places where people can get access to them and the most benefit.

"We then make sure we go round with supplies and keep filling them up.

"We want people to think about food waste and how to prevent it - we also want people to learn more about cooking with vegetables.

"The food we need the most - fresh fruit and vegetables - can be the most expensive for people to buy.

"But so much goes to waste and we want to change that."

Belville Garden's community fridge project is being funded through the government's Climate Challenge Fund grant.

One of the most successful locations so far has been Blairmore Nursery in Greenock's east end, where families can open the community fridge and find a plentiful supply of food to take home.

The youngsters also use some of it for cooking in nursery to help with their learning.

Head teacher Marie Crawford said: "It is a great project.

"Our parents are really on board and families really make great use of it.

"We also run cooking groups as well."

So far community fridges have been placed in Rainbow Family Centre, Bluebird Family Centre, King's Oak Primary, St John's Primary, Blairmore Nursery, St Michael's Primary, St Andrew's Primary, St Stephen's High, Newark Primary, Lady Alice Primary and Aileymill Primary, Community Garden, The Trust on Dalrymple Street, 7 and a half John Wood Street in Port Glasgow and Branchton Community Centre.