One Saturday in March 2025, thousands of people came together at the 'Big Day of Circular Living Ideas' in the beautiful Linear Park on the Hobart Rivulet. A big part of circular living is to reduce and reuse waste, and the biggest source of waste from Australian's homes is food waste.
In fact, the average Australian throws away one out of every five bags of food they buy. That is not only hurting household finances but the massive methane emissions from food waste are very harmful in heating our climate.
During this festival, I gave a talk on food preserving as a tried and true way of reducing food waste. My presentation, "Food Preservation: A Key to Circular Living & Zero Waste," explored how traditional methods like fermenting, dehydrating, bottling, pickling and freezing can reduce waste while saving money. In fact, the benefits go further than you may think:
- Healthier eating with fewer additives
- Support for local food systems
- Reduced plastic packaging
- Lower carbon miles and emissions
For those who couldn't attend, I've attached my presentation slides below (make sure to scroll up to see each slide, or download as a pdf). Whether you're new to food preservation or looking to expand your skills, starting with simple recipes like pickles or kefir can make a meaningful difference in reducing waste.
To learn more, please check out Mel's blogs on bottling with Fowler's Vacola, food dehydrating and making kombucha, kimchi and sauerkraut.