AUSTRALIANS have a troubled relationship with waste. Every year 7.6M tonnes of food is contributed to landfill, or 312kg of food wasted per person.
The answer to this $36.6-billion-dollar-problem may be as simple as a sticky reminder.
Use it Up tape, designed by leading food rescue organisation, OzHarvest, and with BehaviourWorks Australia at Monash Sustainable Development Institute, makes it easy to see what products need to be used before becoming spoiled and binned.
Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction, Trevor Evans said, “No one likes wasting food, but the reality is that most of us do and 70 percent of the food we waste is perfectly edible.”
“The research shows the simple but effective act of using food up could save the average household enough for a holiday each year and the tape is a good visual reminder to help people get into good habits at home.”
In addition to the tape, OzHarvest have shared tools to help people get started at home, including recipes and tips on how to use up commonly wasted food products.
Recognising that not all households are able to purchase the tape, the campaign website has guides on how to make your visual prompts to reduce waste.
“Use It Up has the biggest potential to shift the dial, with families immediately noticing how much food they saved. The tape is a great family communication and meal planning tool, and acts as a daily prompt to change behaviour,” said leading researcher with BehaviourWorks Australia, Mark Boulet.
Use It Up tape and more information can be found at ozharvest.org/useitup.
