Imagine throwing out the equivalent of Matt Parsons in food waste each year.
Because that's exactly what the average household in Newcastle does.
That's right, about 135kg of food waste - the playing weight of the giant Newcastle Knights' 2001 premiership-winning prop - ends up in our red-lidded bins each year.
But Newcastle residents now have more incentive to put their food scraps to good use following the unveiling of a program by lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes yesterday.
From today - World Environment Day - Newcastle ratepayers will be able to purchase a home composting system from the Compost Revolution website at the subsidised price, along with worm farming and bokashi fermenting products, and it will be delivered to their door free of charge.
"In Newcastle, around 30 per cent of the waste in our red-lidded bins is organic and food waste. Per household we throw away an average of 135kg of food waste each year and home composting is one way we can combat this," Cr Nelmes said.
"Composting and worm farming are both fantastic ways to recycle scraps from the kitchen while providing a rich fertiliser for the garden.
"Households with no garden, or limited space, can still get involved by choosing the compact bokashi bin, which ferments a large range of food scraps including meat, citrus and dairy, so there's a way for everyone in the community to get involved.
"An important impact of this program will be less food waste to landfill. A recent survey of more than 500 Newcastle residents found 98 per cent felt it was important to divert waste from landfill."
Composting is something all of us can do
Chief executive of the Compost Revolution David Gravina
Chief executive of the Compost Revolution, David Gravina, said "composting is something all of us can do to turn a problem into a valuable resource while doing our bit for the planet".
"Composting, worm farming, and bokashi fermentation are positively exploding as more people discover how easy it is to make a big difference for the environment while creating their own soil and fertiliser at home," he said.
Product numbers are limited.
For more information visit newcastle.nsw.gov.au/living/waste-and-recycling/food-waste
Face-to-face home composting workshops
- Monday, June 28: 10am - 12pm at Stockton Senior Citizen Hall
- Saturday, July 10: 2pm - 4pm at Hamilton South Estate Centre Care Hall
- Monday, September 6: 2pm - 4pm at Hunter Multicultural Communities Waratah
- Saturday, October 16: 2pm - 4pm at Wallsend Library
