The Minns Labor Government in Australia has awarded more than $10 million to businesses, organisations, and councils working to reduce food waste across New South Wales.
Charities including Plate It Forward, Albury Wodonga FoodShare, and SecondBite will benefit from the funding. By redirecting surplus food, these groups aim to deliver the equivalent of three million meals and divert around 1,500 tons of waste from landfill each year.
With landfill capacity in Greater Sydney projected to run out by 2030, addressing food and garden waste, which makes up nearly half of household red-lid bins, has become a priority. Separating food scraps through FOGO programs is being promoted as a key solution.
© NSW Government
NSW will mandate statewide food waste recycling this year. From 1 July, targeted businesses and institutions such as supermarkets, universities, and prisons must recycle food waste.
The $10 million package includes $4.71 million under the Go FOGO program to support six projects helping councils expand or introduce weekly FOGO services to 118,000 households, $3.14 million for 18 Business Food Waste Partnership projects aimed at educating around 4,200 businesses and 2,000 staff on food waste separation, and $2.25 million for 27 Food Rescue projects providing charities with infrastructure such as refrigerated trucks and storage, with a focus on regional areas.
A further $21.6 million is available for councils under the next Go FOGO round, with applications open until 2 July 2026.
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Penny Sharpe said: "When we bury our food waste in a landfill, it takes up space, produces methane, and drives up emissions. Rolling out FOGO is one of the fastest and most practical steps we can take to cut pollution, turn waste into valuable compost, and support a circular economy. There's a simple solution to food waste - turn food scraps into valuable compost and keep good food out of landfills and on tables. When people are experiencing cost-of-living pressures, it feels like an obvious choice to fund charities that repurpose food waste into meals for those in need."
Daniel Moorfield said: "Our $100,000 Food Rescue grant allows us to introduce regular weekend collections at Sydney Markets, rescuing an additional 5,000 kilograms of fresh produce every week. This expansion will lift the volume of food saved by SecondBite NSW to 115,000 kilograms each week. Thanks to the support of the NSW Government, that's the equivalent of up to 520,000 meals each year that can be redirected to charities."
Anthony Boyd said: "Food rescued through this program will be distributed to SecondBite's network of 204 charities. Fresh produce sourced from our markets will help provide daily meals for people dealing with food insecurity."
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Jason Yat-sen Li said: "Every meal rescued is a lifeline for someone doing it tough.
By supporting food rescue and FOGO programs, we're making sure more people can put fresh, healthy meals on the table."
For more information:
Phoebe Fuller
NSW Government
Tel: +61 (0) 410 640 041
www.nsw.gov.au
