Green cuisine! We’re putting food waste to good use
Since 2022, Mannix College has partnered with Monash City Council to transform food waste from its dining hall into valuable compost for farms and gardens. In just under a year, Mannix College, home to over 300 university students, has successfully diverted an impressive 9,600 kilograms of food waste from landfill. This amount, equivalent to the weight of six or seven medium-sized family cars, is collected by the Council and processed at commercial composting facilities, repurposing it for beneficial use.
Managing food waste from three daily meals served to residents posed significant challenges. However, through strong environmental leadership, education, and active student participation, the College overhauled its waste management practices in 2023. By joining the Council’s School Food Waste Recycling Program, Mannix introduced organic waste bins in the dining hall, which are then emptied into Council-serviced Food and Garden Waste bins.
The collected waste is processed at local facilities, converting it into nutrient-rich compost for Victorian gardens and farms.