Reducing the impact of food waste at Humble Bakery

The challenge

Australia’s $36.6 billion food waste challenge requires a collaborative, system-wide approach – and as outlined in the Bread and Bakery Sector Action Plan, food waste reduction in this sector is no different. While individual organisations cannot resolve all issues alone, there are significant financial benefits from taking food waste action that anyone can get involved in and that will collectively help Australia reach the goal of halving food waste by 2030.

The opportunity

Managing food waste is easily overlooked in the day-to-day of a small bakery. Humble Bakery is an artisan bakery located in the Sydney suburb of Surry Hills, selling fresh bread and pastries baked daily. The bakery first opened in 2020 and is owned by the same team as adjacent restaurants Porteno, WyNo X Bodega and Bastardo.

The team at Humble bakery have begun separating their food waste for recycling. Doing so helped them become more aware of food waste volumes, and be able to take actions to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, and is the start of a bigger journey to reduce food waste.

The solution

As a first step to reducing bakery waste impacts, Humble introduced organics recycling bins. Diverting food waste from landfill has environmental benefits because it avoids greenhouse gas emissions associated with organics breaking down at landfill. Additionally, using recycled organic products (mulch and compost) on farms provides soil health benefits which maintain or improve productivity.

The bakery and three adjacent restaurants under the same management now have organic waste bins at each workstation. In the first week alone using the organics service, the group successfully diverted 274 kg of organics waste away from landfill, saving greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 176 kg of CO2*.

After a few weeks with the organics service in use, Humble reported that their team has been receptive towards the service and contamination levels are low (estimated to be <5%). The successful introduction was achieved using signage on the bins alongside training and ongoing feedback from the pastry chef who continues to monitor the organics bins.

What’s next

With the organics service operational, Humble will turn its attention towards minimising food waste. The bakery is planning a waste audit to identify where and how food waste occurs, allowing them to consider what is avoidable. This will be followed by a review and update to their systems, including preparation and baking methods, sales forecasting, waste tracking and training.

Humble bakery has successfully reduced the impact of their food waste by redirecting waste from landfill towards organics recycling. The changes to waste management practices have been embraced by staff. They are now looking to minimise waste at the source, further reducing the environmental footprint of the bakery.

The learnings

There is a perception that in fast-paced work environments, such as bakeries, staff may be reluctant to source separate food waste because they are already stretched meeting other work demands.

Introducing the organics bins was championed by Humble’s pastry chef who described the process as unexpectedly easy. They noted that once food waste is separated from other waste streams it becomes visible and once it is easy to see it becomes easier to change.

The Baking Association of Australia released the “Don’t Waste Your Dough” toolkit including key learnings like this from the Bread and Bakery Sector Action Plan. It provides a guide and easy to implement actions the industry can take today to reduce food waste, save money and minimise environmental impact.

This case study was prepared as part of the Bread and Bakery Sector Action Plan to help the sector reduce food waste. The project was initiated by End Food Waste Australia with funding support from NSW Environmental Protection Agency. It was delivered by Rawtec with input from bread and bakery industry partners. For more information visit www.endfoodwaste.com.au/sector-action-plans

*Estimate based on carbon emission conversation factors published by Green Industries SA in ‘SA organics sector analysis Summary’ (2021).