Take the Love Food Hate Waste challenge
Fraser Coast residents are being encouraged to take part in the Love Food Hate Waste Challenge to stop wasting food and start saving money.
Cr Darren Everard said Fraser Coast Regional Council had joined the international Love Food Hate Waste movement to help residents tackle food waste.
“Most of the food waste in Australia comes from our homes - Australian households waste 2.5 million tonnes of food each year, or more than four kilograms per household per week,” he said.
“Avoiding food waste can reduce costs for households by between $2,000 and $2,500 a year, while it is also good for the environment by reducing what ends up in landfill.”
Cr Jade Wellings said the Love Food Hate Waste Challenge starts on March 6 as part of International Food Waste Action Week.
“The challenge is a free, three-week program to help you understand your food waste habits while providing helpful tips and tricks for planning meals, shopping, food storage, recipes to use up leftovers and more,” she said.
“The first 100 residents to sign up to the challenge will receive a free gift to get them started, and there are also three great prizes to be won that will help you fight food waste, so visit the Fraser Coast Council website to sign up now.
“Join millions of people around the world to save food, save money and save the planet.”
To be a part of the fun, go to https://www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/love-food-hate-waste to find out more and to register.
Prizes for those who sign up include a FoodSaver vacuum sealer kit to help keep your food fresh for longer (valued at $100); a Sistema leakproof food container set (valued at $50), and The Food Saver’s A-Z recipe book (valued $35).
Cr Everard said local businesses supporting the program on the Fraser Coast included Odyssey Bistro, Portside Café and Restaurant, Tres Salsa Mexican Restaurant Cantina, Alowishus Delicious Cafe and the Hervey Bay Neighbourhood Centre.
The campaign ticks all the boxes for Odyssey Co-owner and manager Scott Thompson.
“It is important to us as restaurateurs to respect the produce and products we consume and utilise them to their fullest extent to reduce our carbon footprint,” he said.
“We aim to utilise everything in order to minimise our expenses and save money as we turn that produce into a dining experience.
“We wanted to be a part of the program so we could share our knowledge and experience to raise awareness to try and help others save on their food bill.”
Background
Love Food Hate Waste was launched in the United Kingdom in 2007 to raise awareness of the need to reduce food waste.
Since it began, millions of people have responded, resulting in reduced food waste across the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada, and Australia.
Organic material makes up about half of what Queenslanders throw away in their wheelie bin each week.
Although organic waste is often seen as ‘natural’, when it breaks down it releases methane, a greenhouse gas that has a global warming potential between 28 and 36 times that of carbon dioxide.