WA venues leading the way in reducing food waste
In a world that today grapples with the pressing need to reduce food waste and mitigate the environmental impact of our dining choices, a growing number of forward-thinking hospitality venues and producers are reinventing food waste as a valuable resource. Once relegated to the ignominious role of discards, peelings, and trimmings we discover how these culinary pioneers across WA are redefining waste and realising the untapped potential of excess food.
Bib and Tucker
Since day one, Bib and Tucker’s operations has been driven by sustainability and their testament to composting all on site green waste is an example of this. Executive Chef Scott Bridger explains that unfortunately the seaside venue itself cannot accommodate an onsite composting system, however this has proven to be anything but a roadblock.
“Myself and a couple of the chefs all have multiple composting systems at home. So much so that we fight off the green waste sometimes.”
“Coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable scraps, egg cartons and fish bones go into our system and we mix with carbon to produce liquid gold.”
This compost produced at home by Bridger and his fellow chefs is then returned to site to feed the kitchen garden located at the front of the venue. The contents of the garden are swapped out seasonally, growing edible garnishes and interesting ingredients that can’t be purchased, making for a menu that celebrates the best seasonal produce that Perth and its terroir has to offer.
Millbrook Winery
Many could perhaps argue that the famed Estate Gardens at Millbrook Winery in Jarrahdale are as integral to the site as the vineyards themselves. With an orchard, olive grove and one acre garden flourishing with over 100 varieties of vegetables, Millbrook Executive Chef, Guy Jeffreys has been praised by many for his “stalk to fork” philosophy.
“Whatever vegetable food scraps that our chickens and ducks can’t eat, plus coffee grounds, egg cartons, paper hand towels, toilet paper tubes etc are composted with mulched vegetable plants and stems. This compost then goes back into the ground where we grow our vegetables, and the cycle begins again”.
Our Ruby Girl
Tucked away in the quiet streets of Como, Our Ruby Girl considered as one of the most selfless venues in Perth in their efforts in looking after both people as well as the environment they operate in. In addition to being an equal opportunity employer, the team lead by Sarah Yates, pride themselves in being a zero waste café taking great efforts to create an eco-friendly venue.
“We have several systems set up at Our Ruby Girl. The first is commercial composting with Write Solutions that processes all our kitchen scraps. This then goes to Richgro to be made into garden compost. We also partner with a local Community Garden and they take our coffee grounds and cardboard to create mulch/compost at their garden”
Both veggie patches supply the cafe with herbs and produce that are used in the kitchen resulting in a seasonal menu that is produce focused and flavour driven.
Where surplus or discarded produce is transformed into unique and sustainable spirits by distilling produce that would have otherwise gone to waste, they not only unlock a world of flavours but also showcase a commitment to environmental stewardship.
Damaged Goods Distilling Co
On a mission to redefine what “waste” really means, newly opened Damaged Goods Distilling Co is setting a whole new standard for sustainability within in the spirits scene in Western Australia. After years of stellar careers in the hospitality industry, Bartender and Chef duo Tim Laferla and Pia Papenfuss know firsthand the levels of waste in the industry and have turned to using all these “odds and ends”, such as impeccable yet rejected produce, to ferment and distil delicious spirits.
“I saw a few distilleries doing dribs and drabs of the zero-waste approach but too scared to talk about it for fear of being seen as "lesser quality’.” We wanted to inspire those conversations that some are too afraid to have. The more we talk about it the more normalised these practices become.”
Though aware that operating as a true zero waste distillery is an likely unachievable goal, the team endeavour to execute this throughout the business where possible sending all liquid and solid organic waste to Richgro to be transformed into biofuels which then are fed back into the Perth grid and utilised for gardening products.
To Tim, the benefits are numerous. “We can easily talk about the carbon footprint by saving food waste from landfills but there is also giving a fair go to farmers. Some of the produce we take would not be able to be sold otherwise, never leaving the farm and so us buying it helps them to cover costs and create revenue streams that otherwise would not exist.”
The innovative approaches to repurposing food waste demonstrated by these venues serve as an exemplary path for change, welcoming the much needed discussion of what happens after the plates are cleared. They prove that implementing such changes is possible and rewarding, leading to a greener future ensuring that we can enjoy the amazing Hospitality and Producer scene in Western Australia for years to come.