The 10 most common foods we're ALL guilty of throwing away even though they're still edible (and how to make them last a LOT longer)

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British households throw away more than £13 billion worth of food every year, according to latest figures.

That equates to about 7.3 million tonnes of food waste, says the waste and recycling body Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap).

We're much more likely to throw out some foods than others - and Wrap's Love Food, Hate Waste campaign has singled out 10 items which UK households are binning every week without fail.

Now the experts at Good Housekeeping Institute have shared their tips for how to make these foods last longer - which could save you money, as well as cut down on waste.

1. BANANAS

British household food waste increased by 4.4 per cent between 2012 and 2015, according to latest figures from the Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap)

British households bin 1.4 million edible bananas every single year, according to Wrap.

But there are easy ways to prevent this colossal waste as even brown bananas can be put to good - and very tasty - use.

Good Housekeeping recommends you turn brown bananas into banana bread or cake.

Or even easier: when your fruit is starting to go brown, chop the bananas into segments and pop them in the freezer.

You can then use the frozen pieces to make ice cream, milkshakes or a smoothie. 

2.  MILK

It's thought the UK wastes more than 360,000 tonnes of milk every year

With most of us keeping milk in the fridge door - the warmest part of the fridge - milk tends to go off quicker than we can use it.

But if you have a lot of milk left to use with only a few days left on the use by date, you can always freeze your cartons.

Alternatively, pour the milk into ice cube trays - the perfect dose for a cup of tea.

3. BACON

We throw away plenty of bacon every year, according to the figures.

But there's an easy way to make it last longer. 

Frozen bacon will keep for two to three months - just make sure you freeze by layer in between sheets of greaseproof paper so it doesn't form a large frozen block. 

4. FIZZY DRINKS AND SMOOTHIES

The best way to make sure your soft drinks such as smoothies (pictured, tropical smoothies containing mango and banana) last longer is to make sure your fridge is kept at below 5C - up to 70 per cent of people have fridges that are too warm

If you're not drinking all your fizzy pop, then there's an easy way to reuse it before it goes flat and has to be poured down a drain.

Good Housekeeping suggests pouring fizzy drinks into ice lolly moulds, allowing some room for expansion, and freezing for easy and refreshing lollies for when it's hot outside.

You could even add some soft sliced fruit to them for a healthy snack.

Juices and smoothies can also be frozen in this way too - or you can blend juice with soft fruit for a homemade smoothie.  

5.  BREAD

We throw away an awful lot of bread every year - 24 million slices a day to be precise, according to Wrap.

If it's kept too chilled - at 5C or below in a fridge for example - it goes stale very quickly, and kept too warm, it can easily develop mould.

Luckily bread can be frozen and makes the perfect slice of toast. But you can make fresh bread last a little longer by buying a whole loaf instead of sliced.

Just make sure you slice the bread before freezing if you buy a whole loaf. 

6. CAKES

Frozen cake slices should last for about a month in your ice box (pictured an iced raspberry loaf cake)

It may seem bizarre to those with a sweet tooth, but one of the most common items we are wasting every year is cake.

Luckily, it freezes very well - but you should freeze in slices to make sure it tastes as good as when you made it when you go to defrost. 

7. CHICKEN AND POULTRY

British households throw away the equivalent of 86 million chickens every year, making it one of the most commonly wasted foods.

That's despite the fact that you can use leftover slivers in hundreds of delicious recipes to turn something that was intended for the bin into a banquet.

Leftover chicken also freezes easily and keeps for four to six months.

And don't throw away the carcass. Boil the bones to make a delicious homemade gravy, as well as the base for hearty soups and stews. 

8. POTATOES

Over five million potatoes are thrown away every day in the UK.

But if you have too many in the cupboard and know you won't use them - cook them and mash them as mash freezes much better than whole potatoes.

Good Housekeeping also recommends parboiling them and freezing them so you can quickly cook roast potatoes any time you fancy.

9. HOMEMADE MEALS

Homemade meals such as macaroni cheese with chicken and mushrooms (pictured) are one of the most commonly wasted foods in the UK

British households throw away 1.5 million meals every day. 

But this can easily be avoided by cooking larger quantities and freezing any leftovers you don't eat.

Just make sure you label up the contents of your plastic containers so you remember what's in them and don't throw them out by accident.

10. CHIPS

Chips are another food we throw away large quantities of - despite the fact they can easily be frozen and reheated at a later date

So next time you make a few too many, freeze them instead of throwing them in the bin - it could come in handy next time you have the midnight munchies.