Refugees and volunteers have found innovative ways of avoiding food waste at the Green Connect Farm in Warrawong.
Data from End Food Waste Australia has shown that this year 100,000 tons of bananas will be wasted nationally, enough to fill 4000 semi-trailers.
A refugee volunteer at Warrawong’s Green Connect Farm has targeted this issue by using the left-over banana skins in a soup. Her knowledge of the ingredient’s high nutritional value allowed for new strategies to easily minimise food wastage in the community.
Farm manager Emily Henderson said Green Connect aims to support people with barriers to employment and in particular refugees and young Australians who have struggled at school.
“It’s not like a normal workplace, we work and support everyone through their difficulties,” Ms Henderson said.
Green Connect has partnered with MCCI (Multicultural community of Illawarra) to encourage individuals suffering with trauma and in particular young women to feel empowered and share their knowledge to contribute to a sustainable future.
“We have learnt a lot from other cultures about the foods on the farm that we would not have usually used, to further limit our food wastage and be more mindful,” Ms Henderson said.
Another young local volunteer introduced a section of the farm called ‘Compost Corner’ by collecting tubs of wasted ground coffee from local cafes and creating a system that uses it for compost.
She has since taught members of the community how to employ these composting methods in their own homes.
“Every day we are learning new ways to sustainably farm and limit the continual food wastage problem in Australia, by utilizing all new ideas and teaching them to the community, to hopefully lead by example,” Ms Henderson said.
The Green Connect farm is open to all.
