the cost of food waste the average weekly household waste in victoria: fresh food = $9.20 leftovers...
TRANSCRIPT
The Cost of Food Waste
The average weekly household waste in Victoria:
Fresh food = $9.20
Leftovers = $7.20
Packaged = $6.80
Frozen food = $5.80
Take away = $4.50
Drinks = $5.60
Total Per Week = $39.10
Total Per Year = $2033.20
Top 25 Most Waste Items
Potatoes
Bread
Tomatoes
Chicken
Mince
Rice
Eggs
Parsley
Mint
Coriander
Basil
Bananas
Apples
Lemon
Cream/Sour Cream
Broccoli
Celery
Carrots
Fish
Cooked Pasta
Yoghurt
Grapes
Bacon
Lettuce
Milk
Cheese
Why do we waste?
Household members don’t always finish their meals
Food was left in the fridge or freezer too long
Too much food was cooked in the first place
Food went off before the “use” by or “best before” date
Food was bought on sale and then didn’t last that long
Family members changed their plans
Food Waste BehaviourBuying
“I think I need more than I actually do...” 52%
“I’m tempted by special offers...” 45%
Cooking
“I prefer to serve too much rather than not enough...” 52%
“I find it hard to estimate how much to cook per person...” 29%
Storing
“I’m unsure about the best way to store different types of food...” 58%
“I don’t have the appropriate storage containers...” 52%
Triple Bottom Impact
Economic: Approx. $1000/person/year + embodied costs of production/transport/disposal
Social: 5% of Australian’s are food insecure - rises to 10% in the City of Yarra + global impact
Environmental: 1 tonne food waste to landfill = ~3.8 tonnes CO2E (methane) / embedded water / unrecoverable nutrients
Food Waste Work of Cultivating Community
Compost Mates: volunteer based collection of food waste from selected cafes for backyard and community garden composting
Compost Crew: private home resident engagement to avoid & recycle food waste via collection service and in-home composting & worm farming
Compost Champions: public housing resident engagement to avoid & recycle food waste via collection service and in-home composting & worm farming
Compost MatesCompost
ChampionsCompost Crew
•Volunteers start program, but need staff to keep
momentum
•Cafes must have systems that work for them and be supported by regular staff
trainings
•A plan for moving and processing materials has to be in place for long-term
success
•Public attention for cafes is an excellent motivator
•Developing community interest in growing food
makes compost “mean” more
•Infrastructure must match participants lifestyles/culture
•Creating a public culture of accountability is essential
•Balance between staff support and participant
“pulling-weight” should be carefully planned
•Cultural and linguistic barriers are significant
obstacles to overcome and collaborating with community
leaders is essential
•There must be a range of incentives beyond
environmental (i.e. financial, social, time-saving)
•Tools and materials should be simple to understand and
use
•Community-based social marketing strategy is
essential
•Creating a public presence for a program is important for long-term participation
•Creating an online forums and physical space for
participant connectivity is key reinforcement
•Front-loaded staff contact is essential to build
consistency and can be replaced with well-
developed tools over time
Key Program Lessons
Behaviour Change Levels of Intervention
Closer to home (i.e. backyard composting, etc): greatest ease/speed of implementation, lower capital startup costs, and greatest potential for behaviour change - emphasis: skill development
Closer to centralisation (i.e. kerbsite collection): harder to implement, high capital costs, and lower potential for behaviour change - emphasis: efficiency
Basic Behaviour Change Parameters (McKenzie-Mohr)Information is not motivation and financial incentives only go so far
Design for selected, specific behaviour changes and do your research
Lower barriers and increase incentives or vice versa
Start small with pilot, refine and then scale up with layers of feedback loopRelationship with Infrastructure
Plan for behaviour change - then match infrastructure
Design from pattern to detail to meet multiple targets
Emphasis on Cultural ReinforcementPeople look to neighbours to determine “normal”
Sustainability is in people-power and positive feedback
HouseholdsCafes/Food Business
Offices
Emphasis: cost savings/connectivity
Emphasis: cost savings/customer education
Emphasis: public image/staff morale
Avoidance + Composting
Efficiency + CollectionEducation +
Sustainability
55% reduction 75% reduction 55% reduction
12 Month Target: 500 12 Month Target: 32 12 Month Target: 3
Food Know How Program
Food Know How Homes
Overview
500 residents throughout Council over 18 months
Provided customised tools, training and support to waste less food and recycle food waste -saving time, money, environmental impact
Supported by community worker, on-going workshops, online tools, and social connectivity to their neighbours
Key Elements
Emphasis on “ready-to-roll” tools that work and demonstrate time, money, eco-savings
Connectivity to experts (information) and peers (experiences)
Target Goals
55% reduction in food waste in rubbish over year
Decreased recycling contamination
3x “Ripple” influence in neighbourhood
Food Know How Cafes
Overview30 cafes, fruit shops and restaurants throughout Council over 18 months
Provided food waste analysis, customised tools, staff training and on-going support to waste less food and collect food waste - saving time, money, environmental impact
Supported by community worker and promoted in community to drive increased business
Key ElementsEmphasis on “custom-fit” tools that work and demonstrate time, money, eco-savings
Capture of patronage of customers interested in supporting responsible businesses
Target Goals75% reduction in food waste in rubbish over year
Decreased recyling contamination
3x “Ripple” influence in customers and peers
Food Know How OfficesOverview
6 offices throughout Council over 18 months - pilot project to test practices
Provided food waste analysis, customised tools, staff training and on-going support to waste less food and collect food waste - reducing eco-impact
Supported by community worker and promoted in community to drive increased business
Key Elements
Emphasis on “custom-fit” tools that work and demonstrate eco-savings
Capture of “responsible business”image
Target Goals
55% reduction in food waste over year
Decreased recyling contamination
3x “Ripple” influence in staff and peers
Community Compost Hubs
Overview
Development of 4 hubs in 4 neighbourhoods over 12 months
Varying sizes, methods, and accessibility to meet individual neighbourhood needs
Supported by community workers, volunteers, and Council via bike collection
Backed up by farmer collection in empty market trucks and/or bulk Council collection
Inputs: residents, cafes, offices / Outputs: community gardens, urban farms, home gardens
Key Elements
Emphasis on infrastructure that meets needs of host neighbourhood
Neighbourhood run / Council ensured
Connectivity to Urban Agriculture Guidelines for public placement
•Questions & Thoughts
Take Home PointsFood waste is one of the biggest “triple bottom line” issues on the local level (e.g. households, businesses, offices, etc.)
Food waste impacts economic, social, & environmental levels
The key to reducing food waste is looking at the behaviours that cause it in the first place
Luckily, food waste can be quickly and easily be reduced through proper planning and recycling
People love food and reducing food waste can be creative/fun
Thank you!
Pete HuffCultivating Community
Food Waste and Compost Team Leader
Resources
Love Food, Hate Waste (www.lovefoodhatewaste.com)
FoodWise (www.foodwise.com.au)
WRAP (www.wrap.org.uk)
Second Bite (www.secondbite.org)
FareShare (www.fareshare.net.au)
OzHarvest (www.ozharvest.org)