Five tonnes of food saved from landfill

In just six months, a group of Eurobodalla businesses have saved more than five tonnes of good food from going to landfill.

Under the Your Business is Food program, hospitality businesses have worked with Eurobodalla Council to identify their sources of food waste and develop plans to reduce it. Andrew Stewart of The Inlet seafood restaurant in Narooma is one of the 28 shire businesses currently taking part.

“We did an audit to find ways to avoid waste, particularly around the way we order stock. Now we get deliveries every two or three days, saving more than 11 kilograms of perfectly good food going to waste each week,” Mr Stewart said.

Eurobodalla Council’s sustainability coordinator Mark Shorter said Your Business is Food was also helping these eateries to better protect the natural environment that Eurobodalla is famous for.

“It’s not just the positives for the environment though,” Mr Shorter said.

“Participating businesses reduce food waste by an average of 21 percent, increasing profits and helping to build a more robust hospitality industry. This increased resiliency helps the industry weather economic downturn, like we’ve seen after the recent bushfires.”

Your Business is Food is a free program supported by a $60,000 grant from the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and the Environment’s Love Food Hate Waste program. Local businesses who want to take part can visit lovefoodhatewaste.nsw.gov.au/business or contact Rebecca Jones on 0416 597 095.

Your Business is Food is a NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, Waste Less Recycle More initiative funded from the waste levy.