Willoughby City Council has welcomed a $198,000 grant to help Northern Sydney businesses save money and help the environment by reducing food waste.
On 24 July 2024, the NSW Government announced that the Better Business Partnership (BBP) had been successful in securing a Business Food Waste Partnership grant from the NSW Environment Protection Authority. The BBP is a business sustainability program funded by Ku-ring-gai, North Sydney and Willoughby City Councils.
The grant will be used to provide free support to assist 300 selected businesses to reduce food waste to landfill by 40 per cent over the next two years.
Willoughby City Mayor Tanya Taylor said the funding would educate businesses about the importance of separating food waste from general waste, and help these businesses identify solutions to deliver this outcome.
"This has the potential to save businesses money, given that food waste is categorised as 'wet waste' which is heavier and therefore costs businesses more in contracted waste fees," Willoughby Council Mayor Tanya Taylor said.
"Given that businesses generally organise their own trade waste collections separate to the Council collection services, it will also reduce the significant greenhouse gas emissions which result from food ending up in landfill.
"Rotting food and organic waste creates methane gas which is 30 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide."
