As part of a nationwide programme to encourage greater food resourcefulness in households, Wastebusters is launching Every Bite in Wānaka this April, a food appreciation movement aimed at reducing household food waste across Aotearoa by 10%.
This four-week programme provides participants with the tools and resources and, most importantly, the motivation to keep on top of the contents of their fridge, monitor their food waste, and make use of every bite before it spoils.
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.
A successful pilot study in February 2024 showed that the simple act of observing food waste can result in significant changes within the household, with many participants reporting the lasting positive impact that Every Bite has had on their day to day lives.
“Homes in Aotearoa are throwing away over 157,000 tonnes of edible food every year – that’s enough to feed everyone in the Upper Clutha region for more than 20 years. We know communities in the region 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 with an in-person event on 29th April at 6pm at the Lake Wānaka Centre, during which Dripping Bowl owner and zero waste champion, Evelyn Vallilee, will offer up industry tips to reduce spoilage, ideas for recipe substitutes, and provide participants with some tasty treats to get the programme under way.
During the four-week programme, participants will receive resources, ideas and recipes to keep their household on track and they will have access to a Facebook group where they can share their progress and ideas with other participants, ask questions, discuss challenges and celebrate the wins made along the way.
Toby took part in the pilot programme and says the key to Every Bite is the tracking and monitoring of your food waste.
“It’s easy and takes no time at all. Seeing what our food waste was made up of was a real eye opener,” he says.
“There were some key culprits, from lettuce going limp to apples going to waste in the kids’ school lunches, but these were easily solved. As a household, we became more creative and mindful in our cooking and food portioning, and we saw a marked reduction in both our shopping bill and our food waste. The changes we made over the four-week programme have just become the norm for us now.”
