The Great Unwaste is coming to Onkaparinga to help you reduce food waste, save money and help the planet.
The Great Unwaste is a nationwide campaign to reduce the amount of food that goes into landfill, converting it instead into valuable products like compost and energy.
The campaign comes to Onkaparinga in a series of free council-led workshops starting 20 August.
Households lose around $2,500 a year on food that is dumped in the bin, while food waste costs Australia $36.6 billion each year.
For the environment, the cost is potentially greater. Food waste is responsible for 10 per cent of greenhouse gases created across the entire food supply chain. The vast majority of this comes from households – not wholesalers, supermarkets or restaurants.
“Halving food waste across the whole supply chain can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 million tonnes by 2030,” says Kristen Frost, Community Connections Officer at Onkaparinga.
“For households, the benefits of not wasting food are not just environmental – they are also financial.
“Proper storage, flexible meal planning, eating leftovers and sticking to the grocery list are simple steps we can all take. Purchasing less food is a good place to start. Buy less, waste less, and save money.
“You can also donate in-date food rather than keeping it for too long and then throwing it out.”
The Great Unwaste website has a host of tools and tips to follow, including a 6-week challenge to review what you are wasting and improve habits to better manage food in your household.
Onkaparinga’s series of 3 workshops help you get started on wasting less food and saving on the household budget. Repeat sessions are available for each workshop.
One of the workshops is about composting and green waste, ensuring any food waste you do end up with goes into creating rich compost for the soil (including by putting all food scraps in your green bin – not the red bin), rather than rotting in landfill.
Affordable Onkaparinga is also hosting an interactive community forum in which participants can share practical tips and solutions to reduce food waste.
You are invited to any or all of the workshop sessions. For more information or to book your free attendance for the workshops, go to council's website. Note - only the first workshop link is currently live, but the others will follow soon! Book your place at the forum via Eventbrite.
The Great Unwaste series
Workshop 1: Plan it like you mean it
Session 1
3pm-5pm, Wednesday 20 August
Woodcroft Morphett Vale Neighbourhood Centre
175 Bains Road, Morphett Vale
Session 2
10:30am-12:30pm, Saturday 23 August
McLaren Vale & Fleurieu Coast Visitor Centre
Main Road, McLaren Vale
Workshop 2: Eat it All
Session 1
9:30-11:30am, Friday 24 October
Seaford Community Centre
Beechwood Grove, Seaford
Session 2
5pm-7pm, Thursday 12 November
Aberfoyle Community Centre
1 Jessica Street, Aberfoyle Park
Workshop 3: From Scraps to Sustainability: Green Waste Solutions
Session 1
5:30pm-7:30pm, Wednesday 5 November
Coromandel Valley Community Centre
442b Main Road, Coromandel Valley
Session 2
10pm-12pm, Wednesday 19 November
Wakefield House Positive Ageing Centre
65 Acre Avenue, Morphett Vale
Affordable Onkaparinga - Reducing Food Waste in Onkaparinga
5:30pm-8pm, Wednesday 10 September
Gilbert Room, City of Onkaparinga Noarlunga office
Ramsay Place, Noarlunga Centre