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In Australia, we waste 7.6 millions tonnes of food per year – and one third of that comes directly from homes (source).
At Compost Connect, we’ve long seen food rescue and composting as essential in tackling our nation’s food waste crisis – and the recent ‘Cooking for Change’ event at Suncoast Fresh in Brisbane was a shining example of this.
Hosted by BioPak, OzHarvest and one of Australia’s most loved chefs, Alastair McLeod, the Cooking for Change event shone a light on a range of initiatives that are changing the way restaurants and businesses tackle food waste – like Compost Connect.
The meals created on the day were distributed to charities around Brisbane to feed those in need.
Composting is nature’s version of recycling. Organic materials, like food scraps, garden waste and compostable products, are broken down into nutrient-rich soil by microorganisms, such as fungi and bacteria.
Cooking for Change (an adaptation of OzHarvest’s regular Cooking for a Cause) showcased both food rescue and composting in action. The event set out to show Australians how easy it is to use the food already in their fridge that would otherwise be wasted and create nutritious and restaurant-quality meals.
Guests were invited to get creative and whip up chicken, mandarin and old bread salad on the Suncoast Fresh rooftop. The recipe made use of ingredients that are often left to waste in our fridge or pantry. These meals were distributed to charities around Brisbane to help feed Australians in need.
To complete the circle, OzHarvest composted any leftover organic scraps, along with any of BioPak’s certified compostable packaging, through Mallow Sustainability’s food waste collection service—the final step toward circularity.
The day highlighted Compost Connect, so like-minded individuals and businesses could feel inspired and head to the Compost Connect platform to see if there’s a food waste collection service available in their area.
We also heard from guest speakers Alastair McLeod (Al’FreshCo), Lea Maguero (BioPak Head of Sustainability), Kara Urbanska (OzHarvest QLD Chef), and Dickson Lee (Mallow Sustainability Operations Manager), leaving us with words of motivation and passion.
Cooking for Change was possible thanks to OzHarvest, BioPak, Alastair McLeod, Mallow Sustainability, Suncoast Fresh, Future Wild and Compost Connect.
The event embodied the essence of a circular economy – from growing plants to food rescue to composting, every step contributed to a sustainable ecosystem.
As Kara Urbanska from OzHarvest put it, “The event today felt really good, because we had a piece of ALL of the puzzle. We had representation from composting, representation from BioPak, representation from OzHarvest (feeding the people) and even a representation from Ellia [Future Wild] who’s growing the plants. So it’s that whole circular economy – from beginning to end.”
Let’s take a closer look at circularity in action.
Ellia Guy, Founder of Future Wild, creates productive, resilient and thriving culinary gardens for chefs.
To begin this display of circularity, Ellia created the rooftop garden beds at Suncoast Fresh. On the day, guests could see fruits, vegetables and herbs growing in the nearby garden beds, demonstrating how simple it can be to grow your own food – even with limited space.
At the end of the day, any food scraps and packaging were sent to be composted. This compost can be used as nutrient-rich soil food to apply to garden beds and grow more plants.
Suncoast Fresh is a supplier of local, fresh and high-quality produce.
The Cooking for Change event took place on the Suncoast Fresh rooftop, where guests prepared meals using ingredients that would otherwise have been wasted.
Alastair Mcleod is a renowned chef and a much-loved Australian TV personality.
Alastair is known for his innovation and creativity, so he was an ideal person to lead an event dedicated to finding creative and delicious ways to use food and minimise waste.
Alastair spoke highly of the Cooking for Change collaboration: “If there is a force of love and logic behind this world, behind this universe, it’s being in the orbit of the people from OzHarvest and BioPak today. It makes me feel compelled – to want to try harder – to make change.”
BioPak creates certified compostable foodservice packaging made from rapidly renewable, plant-based resources. On the day, the meals were packaged and delivered in BioPak packaging.
Compostable packaging is made with the circular economy in mind. Both food waste and packaging can go in the same bin (the organic bin), living beyond the waste part of the cycle and re-entering the resource stream as nutrient-rich compost. This can work to improve soil, grow more plants, and sequester carbon from the atmosphere.
Speaking with Lea Maguero, BioPak’s Head of Sustainability:
“Our vision is a circular economy for our packaging – so it gets turned back into nutrient-rich compost and is used to grow more plants.”
BioPak founded Compost Connect to help close the loop on compostable packaging – although now it stands as a brand agnostic initiative.
OzHarvest is Australia’s leading food rescue organisation, collecting quality excess food and delivering it directly to more than 1,500 charities supporting people in need across the country. They’re key players in helping to reach the national target of halving food waste by 2030.
Cooking for Change was an adaptation of OzHarvest’s regular ‘Cooking for a Cause’ workshop – a team-building activity where corporates come into the kitchen and get creative! These meals are made from rescued ingredients and distributed to charities and agencies around Australia.
Mallow Sustainability offers a food waste collection service, completing the loop at Cooking for a Cause – taking any leftover scraps and compostable packaging and turning them into compost.
Dickson Lee, Mallow Sustainability’s Operations Manager explained “we take the food waste from their kitchen, we take it back to our farm, use an open windrow process, and we turn the food waste into nutritious compost.”
Kara Urbanska from OzHarvest speaks to the benefit of Mallow Sustainability. “Having our compost collected at the end of each week by Mallow Sustainability has been a great example for our participants and volunteers alike that composting is achievable.”
The event also showcased Compost Connect, a not-for-profit platform committed to education, lifting composting rates, and connecting foodservice businesses with compost pickup services.
If attendees on the day felt inspired by seeing the circular economy in action, they were encouraged to head to Compost Connect to find more resources, learn how to compost at home, and discover if commercial compost collection is available in their area.
Dickson Lee from Mallow Sustainability agrees, “Compost Connect is a great platform to connect businesses, even composting businesses, together.”
At Compost Connect, we hope the Cooking for Change event highlighted the importance of food rescue and composting as we work to tackle food waste crisis – inspiring individuals, businesses and even councils to take more action.
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