New Zealand households throw away 300,000 tonnes of food annually: minister

WELLINGTON -- The New Zealand government is funding five projects to help address the growing problem of food waste, as the country's households throw away nearly 300,000 tonnes of food every year, half of which could still be eaten.

"By supporting these initiatives, we're taking steps to reduce this problem," Environment Minister David Parker said in a statement on Thursday.

The government will fund two food waste and three compost projects this year through the Waste Minimization Fund, Parker said.

Organic waste projects have been supported to meet emissions reductions targets, Parker said, adding it is one of the government's investment signals for the current 2021 funding round and further applications are still under consideration.

"To address food waste, we need to look into ways of redistributing or reusing edible surplus food, as well as ways to divert inedible food from landfill. These projects support both," he said, adding that funding such projects works towards a low waste, low emissions circular economy.