Food waste


Less food waste: a recipe for good

Food waste

Food waste is a big problem, for our environment and our wallets. Save money and help the environment by following these quick tips. Or if you are looking for more, take the 3-week Food Waste Challenge.

Meal planning

Make a meal plan and shopping list (PDF 184.9 KB) to reduce shopping time, help your wallet and solve that mid-week ‘what’s for dinner?’ panic. Here are some tips for how to get started:

  • Start with planning a few meals per week.
  • Add an ‘eat what you can find’ night to use up any extras.
  • Check your fridge, freezer and pantry to help make your plan before you go shopping.
  • Put your plan somewhere visible, like the fridge.
  • Write a shopping list, take it to the store and only buy what you need.
  • Don’t shop when you are hungry.

Food storage

Make sure food is lasting its longest. Having an organized fridge and freezer makes a big difference.

  • Set your fridge to 3° or 4°C to best preserve food.
  • Avoid overcrowding your fridge.
  • Use airtight containers for storing food.
  • Make use of your leftovers by eating them the following day of freezing them for later.
  • Label frozen food (PDF 267.0 KB).
  • Freeze foods before their ‘Use by’ date so they can be used later.

‘Use by’ and ‘Best before’ dates

  • Do not eat food beyond its ‘Use by’ date, it’s not safe.
  • Use your senses to decide if you can eat food after its ‘Best before’ date. The quality may have decreased but it could still be safe to eat.
  • Take extra care if you are pregnant, sick, elderly or giving the food to a young child.

Food Waste Challenge

The 3-week Food Waste Challenge is a step by step recipe to reducing food waste.

Thousands of Canberrans have already completed the Food Waste Challenge with great results:

  • 90% of participants in the Food Waste Challenge said they were wasting less food by the end of the challenge.
  • 78% of participants estimated they saved money – on average $583 per year per respondent!
  • Motivation to reduce food waste increased by 52%. This a key to reducing food waste in the home.

Printable resources

Food waste audit (PDF 209.4 KB) – track the food you are throwing away.

Food storage poster (PDF 2.2 MB) – get the most out of your produce.

Food storage labels (PDF 267.0 KB) – organise the food in your freezer.

Meal plan and shopping list template (PDF 184.9 KB) – plan your meals and shopping.

Why are we trying to reduce food waste?

  • In the ACT around 26,000 tonnes of household food waste goes to landfill each year.
  • In Australia, 34% of food waste in the supply chain and 74% of the food waste in landfill has come from households.
  • Australian households waste thousands of dollars every year by throwing away food that could have been eaten.
  • One-third of all edible food produced globally is lost or wasted.
  • Uneaten food wastes many resources – land, water, transport, refrigeration and packaging.
  • Food waste also produces methane in landfill – a powerful greenhouse gas.

Studies and reports:

Contact

Email no.waste@act.gov.au or call Access Canberra on 13 22 81.


Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the Ngunnawal people as traditional custodians of the ACT and recognise any other people or families with connection to the lands of the ACT and region. We acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of this city and this region.

To see how we are building stronger relationships with the Traditional Custodians of the ACT view the Reconciliation Action Plan.