According to research conducted by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (2023), Australians waste approximately 7.6 million tonnes of food annually, costing the economy around $36.6 billion. For the average household, this amounts to an estimated $2,000 to $2,500 worth of food thrown away each year (OzHarvest, 2023).
While smarter choices when purchasing and better planning could help reduce the amount of excess food we are left with, it’s inevitable that there will always be something remaining including food scraps and left over food. Let’s explore the options for dealing with food wastage…
Reduce food waste in our homes:
At home a compost or worm farm is a fantastic way to dispose of most unwanted food scraps. They are easy to set up and great fun for the kids to get involved with! To get some ideas on worm farms visit www.tumbleweed.com.au
Reduce food waste in businesses:
Are you a business such as a cafe, restaurant, supermarket, caterer, hotelier or food retailer that often has excess food that would otherwise be wasted? If so it might be worth approaching one of the ‘food rescue charities’ to donate your ‘overs’ to. These organisations collect excess food from businesses and redistribute it to charities that support vulnerable Australians.
Some of the more prominent organisations in Melbourne are: SecondBite, OzHarvest, Foodbank and FareShare.
For all other businesses (or to compliment food donations), a KS Environmental food organics recycling programme could be a good idea.
What happens to the food waste collected?
Food waste KS Environmental collects is transported either to an in-vessel recycling facility or a large scale worm farm. The recycling facility utilises computerised temperature controlled aerated vats which is then processed into high grade compost products and sold to local markets as soil nutrients. The worm farm creates a boutique organic carbon product (a worm casting/compost blend) which can then also be resold.
Benefits
Food waste recycling programmes are not only good for the environment but they may also facilitate growth in other recycling areas.
Contact us today to find out more about how you can implement a food waste recycling programme.
