Help is available to Eurobodalla businesses, community groups and organisations wanting to reduce their food waste – including with free onsite food recycling systems.
Eurobodalla Council has launched the second phase of its Your Business is Food initiative, a food waste education program helping businesses to stop wasting food and start protecting the environment.
Eurobodalla Council’s sustainability project officer Alex King said NSW businesses typically threw out about 30 per cent of their purchased food.
“Food waste can occur across all aspects of the business at purchasing, storage, preparation and through leftovers on customers’ plates,” she said.
“When food waste can’t be avoided, donating food or recycling it are much better options then sending it to landfill.”
Diverting and avoiding food waste can significantly reduce waste related costs – and helps the environment too.
“It’s a perfect way of building an environmentally and socially sustainable business while benefiting your bottom line,” says Alex.
Free composting, worm farm, bokashi fermentation or bucket collection food waste recycling schemes are on offer for businesses, schools and groups – as well as tailored action plans.
Alex says some local businesses are already innovatively reducing their waste – like coffee outlets packing grounds into recycled bags for customers to take home.
“It’s a great value-add product that customers love,” Alex said.
“Used coffee grounds are pH neutral, which means they can be placed directly onto the garden as a mulch or fertiliser to improve drainage, water retention and aeration in the soil.
“It’s one wonderful example of how businesses can think outside the box to reduce their impact.”
Your Business is Food is part of the NSW Environment Protection Authority’s Love Food Hate Waste food waste avoidance education program, under the Waste Less Recycle More initiative.
Expressions of interest for the program close Sunday 20 March. For more information, including the online expression of interest form, head to the Your Business is Food page on Council’s website.
Above: Maria Tate and Kate Waterson from the Boat Shed at Mossy Point bag up coffee grounds into recycled bags for their customers to take home.
