Tackling food waste, one carrot at a time
by Jo Mills, Wastebusters
“Game-changing”, “awesome” and “transformational” are just some of the things that past participants have said about how Wastebusters’ new programme changes the way they shop for and plan their weekly meals. Welcome to Every Bite.
After a hugely successful programme in Wānaka earlier in the year, Wastebusters is bringing Every Bite to Queenstown this August. Over the course of four weeks, participants are given tools, tips and resources to help them become more food resourceful, reduce their household food waste and save money at the checkout in the process. They’ll be given access to a Facebook group where they can share their progress and ideas, ask questions, discuss challenges and celebrate the wins made along the way.
There are two in-person, evening events to launch and wrap up the programme; in between, Every Bite takes place entirely an at-home, making it super easy. To kick the programme off, participants come together to meet and listen to the expert, namely professional chef and zero waste champion, Alvaro Briones from Queenstown’s Patagon Sausages and head chef at threesixty at Crowne Plaza. Alvaro will be joining the Wastebusters team to offer his industry experience and tips for cutting back on waste and to share delicious nibbles that tackle commonly wasted food items.
Working in partnership with the Zero Waste Network Aotearoa, Wastebusters is one of four regional hubs chosen to co-design and deliver the Every Bite programme within their communities. Wastebusters Campaign Lead, Toby Butland, says this speaks to the reputation that the southern lakes communities have of focussing on food resilience and zero waste.
“Every Bite is a fantastic programme to help households see how small tweaks and changes to their habits can drastically reduce the amount of food waste that they generate, saving grocery costs in the process,” Toby says.
“Homes in Aotearoa are throwing away over 157,000 tonnes of edible food every year - that’s enough to feed everyone in the region for more than 20 years. We know our communities care about minimising their waste throughout their households and we’re really looking forward to helping people move toward greater food resourcefulness”
Every Bite kicks off on Wednesday, 21 August, at 6pm at the Lake Hayes Pavilion. The programme costs $10, with all proceeds going to local food recovery charity, Kiwi Harvest.
Registrations via www.wastebusters.co.nz
Wastebusters is one of four regional hubs co-designing and delivering Every Bite in conjunction with the Zero Waste Network Aotearoa
