$4.6m to save food waste from landfill

The NSW Government has allocated $4.6 million in funding to help stop edible food from ending up in landfill. Currently, 1.7 million tonnes of food is wasted each year in NSW.

The funding is being channelled into two types of grant:

1. Food Rescue Grants will go to charities and community organisations to salvage more surplus or donated food and deliver it to people in need across NSW.
2. Business Food Waste Partnership Grants will enable peak bodies, sector leaders and councils to work together to find opportunities to stop food from going to waste.

“Across NSW, up to 70% of wasted food is still edible; we have to turn this around,” said Minister for Climate Change and the Environment Penny Sharpe. “It’s not about just reducing waste but rethinking how we value and use the food we have.

“This funding will help food rescue charities by giving them better infrastructure to take more donated and rescued food.

“It will also make sure businesses, hospitals, councils and other institutions are upskilling their networks to avoid food waste, and increase their donations and recycling — helping to save nearly 600,000 tonnes of food waste every year.”

Under the first round of the Food Rescue Grants, nearly $3 million has been given to 20 organisations, with recipients including larger statewide charities like FoodBank, OzHarvest and SecondBite, as well as community-based organisations fighting food insecurity across Sydney, Dubbo, Albury and Wollongong.

The funding will help organisations to expand their operations by employing more people and buying bigger trucks and fridges.

The Business Food Waste Partnership Grants have received $1.66 million in the first funding round. This will allow Sydney Children’s Hospitals, the NSW Department of Education, organisations in the Hunter and Riverina, and a range of hospitality and winery businesses to leverage their partnerships to improve their focus on food waste avoidance and recycling.

For more information about the Food Rescue Grants, visit: https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/working-together/grants/organics-infrastructure-fund/food-rescue-grants.

For more information about the Business Food Waste Partnerships Grants, visit: https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/working-together/grants/organics-infrastructure-fund/business-food-waste-partnership-grants.

Image credit: iStock.com/Roman Mykhalchuk