Take a powerful action against climate change by reducing your food waste, and get a discounted home composting system thanks to our partnership with Compost Revolution.
When you throw organic matter in your normal bin, it ends up in landfill. Without exposure to air or the microorganisms needed for it to decompose naturally, it rots. This creates methane – a potent greenhouse gas.
If food waste were a country, United Nations research tells us it would be the world’s third highest greenhouse gas emitter, after China and the United States.
Aside from its significant environmental impacts, food waste also costs the average Victorian household $2200 each year – we throw out one in five bags of food we buy.
Across Australia, five million tonnes of food ends up as landfill each year. That’s enough to fill 9000 Olympic-sized swimming pools, and it costs the Australian economy $20 billion.
Imagine the positive impact we could make if we turned this around.
We can all do our part to reduce organic waste, even if we live in an apartment. Worm farms, for example, take up very little space, have very little odour, are simple to use, and produce rich fertiliser for your plants.
You can feed your worms fruit and vegetable scraps, egg shells, tea leaves, tea bags, coffee grounds and much more. But avoid citrus and acidic foods such as lemons, oranges, onions and garlic, meat and dairy products.
Worms aren’t the only way to make a difference. Here are our eight top tips to avoid food waste.
Eight top tips to avoid food waste
1. Plan meals in advance
2. Check the cupboards and fridge before you go to the shops
3. Be creative with leftovers
4. Donate leftover food to charity
5. Get a compost bin or bokashi composting system at a 50 per cent discount thanks to our partnership with Compost Revolution
6. Start a worm farm
7. Find neighbourhood composting locations through your local communal garden, or the ShareWaste app
8. Check out your local sustainability or composting group for tips on what to do with compost or fertiliser, or visit Streetbank to see how you can connect with your neighbourhood and share resources.
Are you ready to make some new wriggly friends, or get a discounted home-composting system? Visit Home composting.
Of course, reducing food waste is just one part of taking action against climate change. To find out more about our approach, visit Climate action, or view Seven top tips to reduce your waste.
