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.
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
Sustainability Victoria’s Love Food Hate Waste for Business also helps Victorian businesses prevent food waste, reduce costs and increase profits. This free program is open to all Victorian hospitality businesses.
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 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: 24/05/2021