Reducing food scraps at home

Why it's important

Food is the most wasted commodity in Australian households. 1 in 5 grocery bags of food ends up in the bin, costing an average of $3,500 per household each year. That is equivalent to $5.3 billion of food wasted in Australia every year. Our last residential waste bin audit revealed over 39% of the content in our bins are compostable food scraps.

How to reduce food waste

One of the best things you can do to reduce the amount of food wasted in your home is to consider how you are buying, cooking and storing food. Here are 5 tips from Love Food Hate Waste:

  1. Plan your weekly meals to save time and money.
  2. Write a shopping list and check the fridge and cupboard before you go.
  3. Measure serving sizes - visit Love Food Hate Waste for their handy portion calculator.
  4. Store your food correctly - air tight containers help keep food fresher for longer. Label meals so you can find them easily in your fridge and freezer. 
  5. Use your leftovers for an easy weeknight meal.

The War on Waste Action Toolkit (inspired by the ABC's popular TV series) also has some great ideas on ways to reduce food waste at home and in your workplace.

Compost at home or through your community

For any unavoidable food scraps, you can still keep them out of landfill by composting. Here are your options:

  • Compost at home using a compost bin, worm farm, or bokashi system, which Willoughby residents can purchase at a subsidised price.
  • Check with your local community garden to see if they accept food scraps.
  • If you don’t have space or capacity to compost at home, Peels might be of interest. This free, non-commercial community platform connects people with food scraps to those who compost.

Donate and share

A surprising number of people in Sydney live below the poverty line and go hungry. We can all be part of the solution.  You may have a glut of produce from your garden you want to donate. There are some great organisations rescuing and redistributing food around Sydney. Giving your time, money or food to organisations is often the most effective way to provide support, see how you can help:

Read more about Willoughby Council's upcoming 'Food Organics' collection

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