Everything you need to know about food recycling 
 

Food Scraps for Compost includes:
Organics Meat Chicken Meat off-cuts Coffee grounds Leftover food Fish Food organics Restaurant food waste Food waste Tea Beef Pork Fruit scraps Vegetable scraps Rotten food

 

Learn more about reusing and recycling food scraps  

How to recycle food scraps

Food scraps include vegetables, fruit, tea, bread, cereals, eggshells, grains, meat and dairy products. Food scraps can be turned into compost via a composting system or through a specialised food waste recycling service.
 

Food waste recycling services 

Food waste recycling collection services for businesses are provided by a number of commercial operators and local councils. The types of food waste accepted varies, so check with your local operator. Typically, items such as fruit and vegetable peelings, post-consumer leftovers and coffee grounds are accepted. Meat off-cuts and grease-trap sludge from commercial kitchens may be less commonly accepted.

Composts and worm farms 

 

Small businesses may consider having a worm farm or composting bin in the workplace, allowing them to compost their own lunch leftovers or scraps. Many local councils and community groups provide information and run workshops on worm farming and composting.

Hotels, restaurants and other large food service establishments may consider installing an industrial/commercial on-site composter. For more information on equipment to sustainably dispose of food organics visit the Recycling Equipment Catalogue.

Why recycle? 

Composting food waste is one of the best ways to fight climate change. It reduces greenhouse gas emissions and turns waste into nutrient-rich soil that can be used to nurture vegetation.
 
Food doesn’t belong in sealed landfills as they are anaerobic environments, meaning there is no oxygen available. In this environment, organics rot and produce methane, a greenhouse gas that is significantly more potent than carbon dioxide.
 
Sending food scraps and other organic waste to landfill not only wastes valuable nutrients, but the decomposing waste is also a potential source of organic leachates that can contaminate surface and ground water.

How big is the problem? 

Food waste is a major problem in Australia. It has significant environmental and economic impacts.
 
The National Food Waste Strategy Feasibility Study reported that:

•Food waste costs the Australian economy around $36.6 billion each year.
•Each year Australians waste around 7.6 million tonnes of food across the food supply chain. This equals about 312kg per person.
•Food waste accounts for about 3% of Australia’s annual greenhouse gas emissions.
•Australia uses around 2,600 gigalitres of water to grow food that is wasted. This equals the volume of water in 5 Sydney Harbours.
•The amount of land used to grow wasted food in Australia covers more than 25 million hectares. This is a landmass larger than the state of Victoria.
 
However, if food waste is recycled, the valuable organic matter and nutrients contained within them can be recaptured. Methane and other biogases can also be captured and used to generate electricity.

 

What happens to them?

The most common method of composting food waste in Australia is aerobic windrow composting (also called hot composting). In this process, food waste is mixed with other organic waste like wood chips or paper before the material is formed into ‘windrows’ or mounded rows. The windrows are regularly turned and managed to optimise aerobic breakdown of the organic material (microbial breakdown of organic material in the presence of oxygen).
 
Another popular process that uses aerobic decomposition is in-vessel composting. This is similar to windrow composting, but the conditions can be more carefully controlled and the process is accelerated.
 
Biogas, including methane, is produced from anaerobic decomposition of organic waste (microbial breakdown of organic waste in the absence of oxygen). There are around 60 biogas generation facilities in Australia, producing biogas for electricity generation.
 
The solid material that is produced from composting is used as compost, mulch, potting mix, soil fertilisers and other soil conditioners. The liquid material that is produced from in-vessel composting and anaerobic decomposition is also used in soil conditioners, including liquid fertiliser that can be injected into the soil.
 
The use of compost in gardening, landscaping, horticulture and agriculture can:

•Reduce the amount of watering required
•Reduce the amount of synthetic fertilisers needed
•Improve the structure, fertility and health of soils
•Help to repair soils suffering from poor management
 

Food donations

Businesses that produce excess food can donate it to a food rescue charity like Foodbank or OzHarvest, so it doesn’t go to waste. These charities prevent surplus food from rotting in landfill by collecting it from businesses, farms and organisations to help feed people in need.
  

How to reduce food waste

No matter how careful we are, we'll always have some unavoidable food scraps such as vegetable peelings. With the right information, minimising your food waste can be easy and can even save your business money.
 

• Try making stocks and condiments from the parts of your food usually going in the bin (e.g. apple cores, vegetable peels).
• Vegetable scraps/peels and bones can be used to make broth and food stock. Vegetable peels can also be baked to make veggie chips. Citrus fruits like lemon can be as used zest or garnishes on dishes or even as cleaning products.
• Freeze anything that could be eaten or used at a later date.
• Donate excess edible food to a food distribution charity like Foodbank or OzHarvest.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What are food scraps?

Food scraps are any kind of discarded waste from food, including vegetables, fruit, tea, bread, cereals, eggshells, grains, meat and dairy products.

What happens to food scraps in landfill?

It is best to avoid sending organic waste, such as food scraps, to landfill. If your council offers a Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) bin, you can send your food scraps to be composted via that service. Alternatively, you can avoid sending your food scraps to landfill by composting them at home or at a local community garden.
 
Food scraps that are put in your rubbish bin at home are sent to landfill, where they are buried and therefore decompose without the presence of oxygen. During the anaerobic (without oxygen) decomposition of food scraps, biogas (which is a combination of methane and carbon dioxide) is released – both of which are greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.

Can food scraps be recycled?

Yes – food scraps can be recycled by turning them into compost or fertiliser. Food scraps should never be put in your recycling bin at home or work, as they will contaminate the recycling and possibly prevent them from being recycled.

You can recycle your food scraps by composting them or using a commercial food waste collection service (use the directory on this page to find a service near you). Food service businesses may benefit from having a composter onsite.

Are food scraps biodegradable?

Yes – all food scraps are biodegradable and will eventually decompose. When food scraps are sent to landfill, they decompose in airtight conditions, releasing potent greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.

Composting (whether in commercial facilities or via home compost bins and worm farms) speeds up the decomposition process. Composting your food scraps keeps them out of landfill, ensuring the valuable nutrients within them are returned to the earth to nurture plant growth.

How long does it take for food scraps to decompose?

If you have a home compost system, you can expect nutrient-rich compost from anywhere between 4 weeks and a year (depending on the conditions and type of composting system, as well as the types of food scraps used). Compost typically breaks down faster in warmer weather.

Food scraps sent to commercial composting facilities decompose much faster than those in home compost bins because of the higher temperatures.

What food scraps can worms eat?

If you have a worm farm, avoid feeding them any meat and dairy products, citrus, and greasy or spicy foods. Other than that, your worms will be happy to assist you to turn your food scraps into nutritious liquid gold for your garden.

Why should we compost our food scraps?

Food waste makes up a significant portion of the waste sent to landfills. It also contains lots of valuable nutrients which should be recycled and returned to the soil, rather than wasted.
 
Food waste that is placed in your general waste bin and sent to landfill is buried and therefore decomposes without the presence of oxygen. During the anaerobic (without oxygen) decomposition of food scraps, biogas (which is a combination of methane and carbon dioxide) is released – both of which are greenhouse gases and contribute to climate change.

However, food scraps that are composted (either through a collection service or your home worm farm or compost bin) decompose in the presence of oxygen, meaning that no methane is released in the process.