Australia’s first zero-waste breakfast held at the Refettorio OzHarvest Sydney has today shared top insights into the future of sustainability for the foodservice industry, revealing composting as a key player in addressing the country’s national waste crisis.
The morning included guest speakers, Australian Chef Neil Perry AM and OzHarvest Founder Ronni Kahn AO, both sharing their current food waste initiatives, as well as their experiences with composting to help tackle food waste.
“Food waste is an issue impacting our whole nation, with over 7.6 million tonnes going to waste each year. OzHarvest is committed to halving food waste by 2030, but it’s a big job and needs change at levels of society – from government, industry and households,” said Kahn.
“Food that ends up in landfill creates methane gas which is a huge contributor to climate change and preventing this from happening is key to protecting our planet. Composting and using sustainable packaging can play a huge role, especially for the hospitality industry. If you’re in the business of food, you should seriously look at adopting this model as plastic should not be part of our future.”
Among the innovations presented at the breakfast, a unique product stewardship scheme called Compost Connect was noted as being a viable solution in reducing the one million tonnes of organic waste created by Australia’s foodservice industry every year, which is the weight of nearly 19 Sydney Harbour Bridges.
Backed and used by Neil Perry AM, the scheme connects businesses and individuals to places that can compost their food waste and packaging, and has even released new data detailing which Australian councils offer residential composting and whether they accept food waste and certified compostable packaging in their bins.
“As a country, we need to re-think our processes and start thinking of the bigger picture. We need to work together to address the problem, reduce organic waste and contribute to achieving a better society for future generations. Initiatives such as Compost Connect are changing how the foodservice industry operates for the greater good of our country,” said Perry.
The ongoing plastic bans and state of single-use plastics was also discussed at the breakfast, with BioPak CEO, Gary Smith commenting on the ongoing changes.
“With plastic bans taking place across the country, there are many questions around how the foodservice industry can adopt sustainable practices while managing food safety and hygiene standards where reusable options are simply not an option,” said Smith.
“These bans are a great start but they are just the tip of the iceberg. Along with a unified approach across the country, we need to start thinking long-term and begin getting familiar with the word ‘circularity.”
“A circular economy using natural or reclaimed materials has been noted time and time again as a viable and scalable solution to our waste crisis. And Product Stewardship schemes such as Compost Connect are helping businesses dispose of waste where their current rubbish collection is simply not appropriate.”
Fourth generation composter, Lachlan Jeffries also added to the discussion, showcasing the benefits of compostable packaging as a conduit for diverting more food waste from landfill.
“We see food packaging made from plants as a vessel and tool to help us capture and compost food organics that would otherwise go to waste,” said Jeffries.
Compost Connect currently has 373 businesses who progressively joined the initiative and have helped divert approximately 2090 tonnes of organic waste and compostable packaging from landfills, the equivalent to the weight of 800 elephants.
This contributed in creating 1460 Tonnes of compost, and avoided the emission of 1060 Tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere.
For more information on Compost Connect, please visit their website.
For more information on OzHarvest, please visit their website.
