Food Loop was an action research project that ran on the Maiden Lane Estate in North London between March 2009 and November 2010. The project was based on the broad hypothesis that one of the best ways to get people to care about food waste is by making the local benefits of recycling and composting visible, and by ensuring that people are able to design a food waste system that best meets their needs. The project tested the value of co-design in the creation of local services.
The Food Loop project team worked closely with residents of the Estate to initiate a new food waste collection service and to continuously evaluate and improve the service. The London Borough of Camden initially funded the delivery of the new service. When compost became available from the recycling of food waste, residents and other stakeholders were engaged to envision how it should be used, and helped to craft a plan for future food-growing on the Estate.