Auckland Council is giving away $40,000 to help Aucklanders reduce their food waste.
Grants from $500 to $5000 are available throughout February to initiatives that help raise awareness of food waste and demonstrate practical solutions to overcome household food waste in Auckland.
This is the fourth grant round for the Love Food Hate Waste project since its start in 2016. Applications are available online from 1 – 28 February 2021.
Previous grants have been awarded to a wide variety of initiatives, like community fridges and pantries, cooking demonstrations, and activations at schools. Film screenings, community get-togethers, and online competitions have also been popular.
The limit for an individual project is higher than in any previous round of the fund, to encourage outside the box thinking and expand the possibilities to larger or longer-term creative initiatives.
Potential applicants should visit lovefoodhatewaste.co.nz to get a more complete understanding of food waste and how their project can make a difference.
Small change, big impact
According to Love Food Hate Waste, New Zealand homes throw away 157,398 tonnes of food per year. This is enough food to feed the whole of Dunedin for just under three years! Wasting this food costs the average household $644 a year, or $1.17 billion total.
New Zealand’s yearly food waste from households alone produces 409,234 tonnes of carbon emissions.
To offset this, we would need to take 150,453 cars off the road for one year or plant 163,693 trees.
Every time you put food you planned to eat in the bin, you’re throwing away money. Households are the biggest source of food waste in New Zealand, putting more into landfill than our commercial and hospitality sectors combined. Reducing the amount of food we waste at home is a meaningful way we can contribute as individuals to the fight against climate change. Love your food to reduce your waste, save money and protect Papatūānuku.
Visit lovefoodhatewaste.co.nz for recipe ideas and tips to save you money at home, and if you have an idea for a project to educate and inspire others then apply for funding this February.
