Waste Minimisation

Food waste doesn't just waste food. It also wastes the money, water, energy and resources that went into producing it.

A few simple changes to how you plan, shop, store and use food can help you make the most of what you buy, save money and reduce the amount of food ending up in your general waste bin.

Simple food waste avoidance tips

Plan Before You Shop

A little planning can help you buy what you actually need and use more of the food you already have.

• Check your fridge, freezer and pantry before heading to the shops.
• Plan meals around ingredients you already have.
• Make a shopping list and stick to it.
• Think about how many meals you'll be eating at home that week.
• Only buy in bulk if you know you'll be able to use or store the food.

Store Food to Make It Last

Storing food correctly can help it stay fresh for longer and give you more time to use it.

• Keep your fridge organised so you can easily see what you have.
• Create an 'Eat Me First' section for leftovers and foods that need to be used soon.
• Freeze suitable food and leftovers if you won't use them in time.
• Keep an eye on what's in your fridge and regularly move older items to the front.

Understand Food Date Labels

Knowing the difference between use-by and best-before dates can help you avoid throwing away food unnecessarily.

Use By
Use-by dates relate to food safety. Food should not be eaten after its use-by date.

Best Before
Best-before dates relate to food quality. Food may still be suitable to eat after its best-before date if it has been stored correctly and is otherwise safe to consume.

Love Your Leftovers

Leftovers don't have to mean eating the same meal twice.

Turn leftover ingredients into another meal, take leftovers for lunch or freeze suitable meals for another day. Before buying something new, check what you already have and think about how it could be used.

Food Waste Avoidance Guide

Looking for more tips?

Council's Food Waste Avoidance Guide provides practical advice to help you plan meals, store food correctly, understand food date labels, use up leftovers and reduce food waste at home.

Download the Food Waste Avoidance Guide: NQROC-FoodWasteGuide.pdf(PDF, 4MB)

Printed copies are also available by contacting Council's Customer Service Centre on (07) 4783 9800.

What About Unavoidable Food Scraps?

Even with good planning, some food scraps are unavoidable. Fruit and vegetable peelings and other suitable food scraps can be turned into a valuable resource for your garden through home composting or worm farming.

Make the Most of What You Have with Saveful

Not sure what to make with the ingredients you already have?

Saveful offers flexible meal ideas based on ingredients you already have, so you can:

Developed by Thankful for Farmers with chef Matt Moran, Saveful helps take the guesswork out of deciding what to cook and makes it easier to get more from the food you buy.

Download the free Saveful app using the QR Code below, or visit https://www.saveful.com/ for more information, and make reducing your food waste easy.

Composting at Home

Next time you take out your wheelie bin, take a look at what you're throwing away. Food scraps and garden waste can make up a significant amount of our household rubbish, but much of this material can be put to better use.

Composting is a simple and low-cost way to turn kitchen and garden waste into a valuable resource for your garden. It reduces the amount of waste sent to landfill while producing a dark, crumbly compost that can improve your soil and help it retain moisture.

How to Compost

Step 1 - Choose a location
Place your compost bin or heap in a well-drained spot with direct contact with the soil.

Step 2 - Start with a coarse layer
Add small twigs or other coarse garden material at the bottom to help with drainage and airflow.

Step 3 - Add your greens and browns
Aim for a good mix of:

• Greens: fruit and vegetable scraps, fresh lawn clippings, coffee grounds, tea leaves and fresh garden prunings.
• Browns: dry leaves, shredded paper, cardboard, dried grass and small woody materials.

Step 4 - Keep it moist
Your compost should be damp, but not soaking wet.

Step 5 - Give it some air
Turn your compost regularly with a garden fork or compost turner to help air circulate.

Step 6 - Keep it covered
A lid or cover helps maintain moisture and prevents the compost becoming too wet during rain.

What shouldn't go in your compost?

Avoid adding:

• meat and fish
• dairy products
• fats and oils
• cat and dog waste
• treated timber
• plastics and other non-compostable materials.  

Troubleshooting your compost

Compost not breaking down?

It may be too dry or need more nitrogen-rich material. Add some water if needed, mix in fresh green material and turn the compost to improve airflow.

Compost smells?

Your compost may be too wet or have too much green material. Mix in dry brown materials such as shredded paper, cardboard or dry leaves and turn the pile.

Too many flies?

Make sure food scraps are buried beneath a layer of compost or brown material and keep the compost covered.

Compost too wet?

Add dry brown materials and turn the compost to improve airflow. Check that water can drain from the bottom.

Pests or vermin?

Avoid adding meat, dairy and fatty foods, keep food scraps covered and make sure your compost bin is securely closed.

Resources

Worms are natural recyclers. They help break down organic material and return valuable nutrients to the soil, making them great helpers in the garden.

A worm tube is a simple, low-cost way to put worms to work while recycling some of your food scraps. Unlike a traditional worm farm, a worm tube sits directly in your garden, allowing worms to move in and out through holes in the tube and help break down the food scraps inside.

Worm tubes take up very little space, can help keep food scraps out of your general waste bin and return nutrients directly to the surrounding soil.

How to make a worm tube

Step 1 -  Prepare your container
Use an empty 10 to 20 litre plastic bucket with a secure lid.

Step 2 -  Create access for the worms
Remove the base of the bucket and drill or punch several holes into the lower section of the sides.

Step 3 -  Place it in your garden
Dig a hole and place the bucket into the ground, leaving the top accessible. Backfill the soil around the bucket.

Step 4 -  Feed your worms
Add small amounts of suitable food scraps and replace the lid after each use.

Worm-friendly foods

Try adding:

• fruit and vegetable scraps
• tea leaves and coffee grounds
• crushed eggshells
• small amounts of shredded paper and cardboard
• soft garden material.

What should I avoid?

Avoid feeding your worms:

• meat and fish
• dairy products
• fats and oils
• highly processed foods
• large amounts of citrus, onion or garlic.

Resources