OzHarvest, BioPak, and Australian chef and TV personality Alastair McLeod have teamed up to host a zero-waste cooking event ‘Cooking for Change’ to help feed some of Brisbane’s most vulnerable communities and fight the war on waste.
Held at Suncoast Fresh in Rocklea, the day included top innovations driving change in the food service industry, with food rescue and composting noted as key drivers in facilitating change and tackling the nation’s current waste crisis.
Key initiatives included OzHarvest’s Cooking for a Cause program, Australia’s first national composting product stewardship scheme Compost Connect, sustainability innovations from Suncoast Fresh and Future Wild, and trending insights from Queensland composting service, Mallow Sustainability.
Preparing a dish using reclaimed foods that would have otherwise gone to waste, chef Alastair McLeod explained how simple it is to create nourishing meals that can be used with everyday ingredients found in the fridge and pantry.
“Cooking and preparing nourishing meals does not need to be costly and complicated. By using everyday products and seasonal produce, we can create a number of delicious dishes from just three to four core ingredients. This not only reduces food waste but ensures that people get more value from their grocery shop,” says Alastair.
Meals made at the event will be delivered to charities around Brisbane that help feed people in need.
Compost Connect aims to reduce 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.
“Composting is a viable solution to Australia’s current food and packaging waste crisis. It is already happening and it works,” says BioPak’s Head of Sustainability Lea Maguero.
“Product stewardship schemes such as Compost Connect are pioneering change and helping businesses and individuals understand the benefits of composting to divert organic waste from landfill. Awareness and education is key. Together, we can turn food waste and certified compostable packaging into nutrient-rich compost and encourage local councils to jump on board.”
Compost Connect currently has 381 businesses who progressively joined the initiative, and have helped divert approximately 5585 tonnes of organic waste and compostable packaging from landfill. This contributed in creating 3909 tonnes of compost, and avoided and sequestered the emission of 2848 tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere.
For more information, visit https://www.compostconnect.org/
