Australians throw out $4.7bn worth of food each year

Australia's 8.5 million households throw out more than A$5.2bn (US$4.7bn, £2.8bn) worth of food annually, generating more carbon emissions than the country's iron and steel industries, according to a new report.

The total sum – which amounts to A$616 worth of food per household per year – exceeds the amount spent by households on digital equipment as well as the cost of running the national army, according to the study What a Waste, which was released yesterday by The Australia Institute.

"To put this into context, the A$5.2bn worth of food that Australians throw out each year is enough money to meet the shortfall in the United Nations Emergency Relief Fund," said report author David Baker.

Fruit and vegetables comprise the biggest share of food waste, followed by restaurant and takeaway leftovers, then meat and fish. Researchers found that residents of wealthier homes were more inclined to throw out food, as were smaller households.

The food waste "leads to unnecessary emissions associated with transport, processing and refrigeration in addition to those emanating directly from agricultural production". In landfills, "the decomposition of food waste… creates methane, which has a much larger global warming potential than carbon dioxide", said the report.

The researchers lay part of the blame on grocers, which "represent a major barrier to implementing effective food waste policies", as their profits are tied to the amount of food sold.

The provision of free plastic bags by retailers "highlights the manner in which grocery outlets encourage customers to shop first and plan second", they said.

The biggest motivator to reducing food waste was to save money, according to the 1,603 Australians surveyed for the study.

Given the expected future rise in average household income and also smaller households, the government needs to step in to help alleviate the problem, the researchers said, as consumer education programmes were unlikely to be effective.

A government ban on free plastic bags by retailers would help, according to the study. Consumers would then need to bring their own bags, they said, which would require them to better plan their shopping and reduce impulse purchases.