It’s not exactly a state secret that most households waste food.
A lot of food.
Here in Macarthur, across NSW and Australia, and in most developed countries, the amount of food that is wasted borders on the ridiculous.
Most people would dearly love to reduce the amount of food waste but just don’t know how to go about it.
Well, maybe now there is a light at the end of this particular tunnel.
Our two major councils, Camden and Campbelltown, have joined forces to help our local community learn the skills needed to reduce food waste in their households.
The two councils have signed up for the State Government’s Love Food Hate Waste program in a bid to tackle in Macarthur the growing issue of food waste with a year long program of free clinics.
And looking at the sheer numbers of food waste, there’s no doubt it’s about time we acted.
NSW households generate around 800,000 tons of food waste each year, which amounts to $2.5 billion worth of food, or about $1000 in food waste per household.
That means in the Campbelltown and Camden local government areas alone, close to $77 million worth of food is wasted every year.
Mayors launch Cook it! Macarthur project
In response to this alarming statistic, the Cook it! Macarthur initiative was recently launched by the Mayors of Campbelltown and Camden, Paul Hawker and Lara Symkowiak in the Macarthur Centre for Sustainable Living at Mt Annan.
This is how the 12 month project will work:
There will be 20 free cooking clinics where local residents will learn about food waste avoidance skills.
It is mostly aimed at families with young children, teaching them a better understanding of food, how to buy it, store it, grow it and make their weekly budget stretch further.
The clinics will provide participants with hands-on experience, helping them learn how to avoid food waste through the full life cycle of a meal – from purchasing to using leftovers.
Participants will also learn how to cook a simple nutritional meal and will be encouraged to champion their new knowledge and skills by teaching friends and family.
Mayor of Camden, Cr Lara Symkowiak said the program is a great opportunity for families to not only learn how to reduce food waste but to also learn how to prepare easy and healthy meals for their family.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“The Cook It! Macarthur program aims to teach residents food waste avoidance skills through a series of cooking clinics,’’ Cr Symkowiak said.[/social_quote]
“The clinics will provide participants with hands-on experience on how to avoid food waste through the full life cycle of a meal, including thoughtful purchasing, storage, portion size and using up leftovers as well as taking home some handy healthy recipes.’’
Mayor of Campbelltown, Cr Paul Hawker, said that the new initiative would be valuable for parents and other residents who would like to hear more about healthy eating and how to make their household grocery budget go further.
“The clinics will help people learn how to avoid wasting food by teaching them how to shop for, cook and store food in a sustainable way,’’ Cr Hawker said.
“By learning techniques to avoid wastage, we’re not only helping the environment, but also our hip pocket,” Cr Hawker said.
In recognition of World Environment Day on June 5, the first free clinic will be held on Monday, June 6, with additional Cook it! Macarthur activities and food demonstration stalls being hosted at a range of community events across the Macarthur region throughout the year, including NAIDOC Week, Riverfest and the Festival of Fisher’s Ghost in Campbelltown, and TASTE Food and Wine Festival in Camden.
SNAPSHOT: Cook it! Macarthur – first free clinic:
When: Monday 6 June
Time: 10am to 12.30pm
Where: Macarthur Centre for Sustainable Living, 1 Mount Annan Drive, Mount Annan
Numbers are limited for the clinic. To book, contact Campbelltown City Council on 4645 4877.
• The Cook it! Macarthur project is supported by the Environmental Trust as part of the NSW EPA’s Waste Less, Recycle More initiative, funded from the waste levy.
• To find out more about the new initiative, including details of future clinics, visit the website here.
