Over 1.7 tonnes of food and 0.14 tonnes (144KG) of re-usable cutlery have been donated to the homeless by Imperial College London to reduce waste by the university.

Homelessness charity Emmaus Colchester received the food from the university, in South Kensington, in support of their ongoing work to end homelessness.

The donated food will be used to provide nutritious meals for the companions (formerly homeless people) living and working within the community, while contributing to training schemes provided by the charity.

Emmaus Colchester has also chosen to donate a large portion of the food to humanitarian efforts overseas, as part of their continued solidarity work with Emmaus communities across the world.

Greg Davidson, business manager at Emmaus Colchester, said: “We’re delighted Imperial College have seen our dedication towards recycling and reuse, choosing our charity to donate tonnes of food and saving it from going to waste.

"Our companions have been able to cook up a great feast for all who live and work at the community, and we have been able to contribute to international Emmaus solidarity projects.

“Many of our companions have a strong interest in cooking, wishing to pursue it as a career.

"We provide training in food hygiene and cooking to all of our companions and this donation will allow us to continue this, helping equip companions with the vital skills they need in order for them to progress in the future.”

Helen Swanton, waste & recycling officer at Imperial College London, said: “This is the first year that Imperial College has donated food and cutlery to Emmaus directly and it is very impressive and a pleasure to see such a large amount of quality items which might otherwise have gone to waste, go instead to such a worthy charity.

"Everything was donated by the students themselves upon leaving their halls at the end of the academic year.

"We are pleased the donations were so well received and hope to work again with Emmaus in the future.”

Emmaus Colchester is one of 25 communities in the UK, working to support companions (formerly homeless people) by providing them with meaningful work and a stable home at their community house in Colchester.

They also have two shops in the town, two warehouses, and a new eBay store, selling upcycled, restored furniture and vintage goods.