Food waste for business
Businesses can play an important role in reducing food waste sent to landfill, particularly supermarkets, hotels, cafes, restaurants and shopping centre food courts.
Businesses can do their bit by reducing the amount of food wasted, sending excess food to food recovery organisations, and recycling the remaining food waste. As well as being better for the environment, reducing food waste to landfill can save businesses money.
Food waste recycling for business guide
Our Food waste recycling for business guide helps businesses recycle food waste by:
- identifying and reducing food waste
- considering different food waste recycling systems (collection service or an on site system)
- providing tools to assess and record different types of food waste.
Read the Food waste recycling for business guide snapshot.
Download the Food waste recycling for business guide.
Analysis of waste audit data in the hospitality and food retail sector
Between 2018 and 2019, Sustainability Victoria and MWRRG commissioned 433 compositional waste audits across businesses in the hospitality and food retail sector.
Analysis of waste audit data in the hospitality and food retail sector—the most extensive and detailed of its kind in Australia—found food waste, out of the 31 types of waste recorded, is the biggest opportunity for these businesses.
It shows a significant opportunity to cut costs by reducing or recycling up to 98% of food waste currently sent to landfill.
The audits sample seven Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification classes:
- accommodation (class 4400)
- bakery product manufacturing (non-factory based) (class 1174)
- pubs, taverns and bars (class 4520)
- cafes and restaurants (class 4511)
- fruit and vegetable retailing (class 4122)
- supermarkets and grocery stores (class 4110) (excluding major supermarkets)
- takeaway food services (class 4512).
Audits were distributed across both metropolitan and regional councils. The audits provide more extensive and detailed data than any other Australian based study of these business classes.
Read the snapshot or the full analysis of waste audit data in the hospitality and food retail sector.
Organisations reducing their food waste
Our case studies show how organisations have reduced their food waste:
- the purchase of a steam kettle helped Fareshare make an extra 5,000 meals for people in need
- an extra truck delivery helped Ozharvest divert over one tonne of food waste from landfill
The Department of Health and Human Services' food organics recycling guide and calculator assists small to medium sized food service organisations:
- reduce food waste going to landfill
- save costs
- reduce environmental impacts (including greenhouse gas emissions)
- demonstrate environmental leadership.
Food waste recycling for business guide
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Food waste recycling for business guide - snapshot Other 4.5 MB
A snapshot of the Food waste recycling for business guide. The guide helps businesses recycle food waste by identifying and reducing food waste, considering different food waste recycling systems (collection service or an on site system), providing tools to assess and record different types of food waste.
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Food waste recycling for business guide Guidance Document 1.2 MB
Our Food waste recycling for business guide helps businesses recycle food waste by identifying and reducing food waste, considering different food waste recycling systems (collection service or an on site system), providing tools to assess and record different types of food waste.
Analysis of waste audit data in the hospitality and food retail sector
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Analysis of waste audit data in the hospitality and food retail sector - snapshot Other 1.1 MB
A snapshot of the Analysis of waste audit data in the hospitality and food retail sector. Between 2018 and 2019, Sustainability Victoria and MWRRG commissioned 433 compositional waste audits across businesses in the hospitality and food retail sector. The analysis found food waste, out of the 31 types of waste recorded, is the biggest opportunity for these businesses.
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Analysis of waste audit data in the hospitality and food retail sector Report 1.8 MB
Between 2018 and 2019, Sustainability Victoria and MWRRG commissioned 433 compositional waste audits across businesses in the hospitality and food retail sector. The analysis found food waste, out of the 31 types of waste recorded, is the biggest opportunity for these businesses.
Food waste case studies
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Case study: FareShare - increased cooking capacity leads to healthy people and environment Case Study 1.2 MB
This partnership project shows how a relatively small boost to infrastructure can have significant and positive outcomes for vulnerable people while diverting more food waste from landfill.
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Case study: OzHarvest food rescue expansion Case Study 746 KB
OzHarvest Melbourne believed that if it offered more extensive evening and weekend food pick-ups, it could increase its number of overall food donors. That would ensure less food ended up in landfill and more people in need would be fed.
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Case study: Recycling food waste - Department of Health and Human Services Case Study 962 KB
This case study explores the design and implementation of food waste recycling systems at some of Melbourne’s hospitals and aged care facilities.
Last updated: 29/09/2021