Australia discards 7.3 million tonnes of food each year. This waste costs the economy $20 billion annually and generates 8 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions.
Key Takeaways
- Total economic cost of Australian food waste is $20 billion annually
- Household food waste costs families $1,300 per year on average
- National value of wasted food is equivalent to 5% of grocery spend
- Food waste generates 8 million tonnes of CO2-e emissions annually
- Household food waste emissions equal 3 million cars on road
- Landfilled food waste methane contributes 7% of national emissions
- Australia generates approximately 7.3 million tonnes of food waste annually across the supply chain
- Per capita food waste in Australian households is 107kg per year according to 2021 data
- New South Wales produces 1.9 million tonnes of food waste yearly
- National Food Waste Strategy aims for 50% reduction by 2030
- OzHarvest rescues 20 million meals annually
- Foodbank diverts 10 million kg of food from waste yearly
- Households contribute 39% of total Australian food waste
- Farm and primary production account for 27% of food waste
- Processing and manufacturing source 22% of waste
Australian food waste costs $20 billion a year and emits 8 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
Related reading
01 · Category
Economic Costs26 stats
01
Total economic cost of Australian food waste is $20 billion annually
02
Household food waste costs families $1,300per year on average
03
National value of wasted food is equivalent to 5% of grocery spend
04
Farm gate losses cost agriculture $2.5 billion yearly
05
Supermarket food waste valued at $3 billion annually
06
Processing waste economic loss $4 billion
07
NSW food waste costs state economy $5.5 billion/year
08
Victorian business food waste $2.8 billion loss
09
Queensland household waste costs $3.2 billion
10
SA total food waste economic impact $1.2 billion
11
WA food waste costs $2 billion yearly
12
Tasmanian industry losses $300 million
13
ACT consumer waste $100 million annually
14
NT food waste economic cost $150 million
15
Fruit waste value lost $1.1 billion per year
16
Vegetable economic waste $1.6 billion
17
Meat waste costs $2.2 billion annually
18
Dairy product waste $1.3 billion loss
19
Bakery goods waste value $800 million
20
Restaurant waste costs sector $1.5 billion
21
Landfill costs for food waste $1 billion yearly
22
Rescue costs savings potential $500 million via donation
23
Composting industry benefits $200 million market
24
Anaerobic digestion potential revenue $300 million
25
Packaging related waste costs $400 million
26
Supply chain inefficiencies cost $6 billion
Interpretation
Economic Costs Interpretation
Australia, we are collectively burying a three-course meal of money—from farm to fridge to fork—with every wasteful bite costing us billions, a national habit that’s trashing our wallets as surely as our landfills.
02 · Category
Environmental Impacts24 stats
01
Food waste generates 8 million tonnes of CO2-e emissions annually
02
Household food waste emissions equal 3 million cars on road
03
Landfilled food waste methane contributes 7% of national emissions
04
Water wasted in food production for waste: 1 trillion litres yearly
05
Food waste uses land equivalent to 1.5 million hectares
06
NSW food waste emissions 2.2 Mt CO2-e per year
07
Victoria food waste landfill 1.5 Mt CO2-e
08
Queensland agriculture waste emissions 1.2 Mt
09
SA food waste GHG footprint 0.5 Mt CO2-e
10
WA processing waste emissions 0.8 Mt
11
Tasmanian seafood waste 0.1 Mt CO2-e
12
ACT household emissions from waste 0.04 Mt
13
NT landfill methane from food 0.06 Mt CO2-e
14
Fruit waste water footprint 400 billion litres
15
Vegetable waste land use 500,000 ha equivalent
16
Meat waste emissions 3.5 Mt CO2-e
17
Dairy waste methane 1.2 Mt CO2-e annually
18
Bakery waste energy loss equivalent to 100MW power plant
19
Food waste in landfills leaches 20% of organic pollutants
20
Biodiversity loss from wasted cropland 10% impact
21
Plastic contamination from food waste 50,000 tonnes/year
22
Odour pollution from food waste sites affects 1 million people
23
Water pollution from leachate 15% from food waste
24
Soil degradation from wasted fertiliser 200,000 tonnes N lost
Interpretation
Environmental Impacts Interpretation
Australia's staggering food waste problem is essentially a grotesque, nationwide multi-tasking failure where we're simultaneously cooking the climate, trashing the land, pouring a trillion litres of water down the drain, and polluting our neighbourhoods, all by merely throwing away the groceries we already paid for.
03 · Category
Quantity of Waste30 stats
01
Australia generates approximately 7.3 million tonnes of food waste annually across the supply chain
02
Per capita food waste in Australian households is 107kg per year according to 2021 data
03
New South Wales produces 1.9 million tonnes of food waste yearly
04
Victoria's food waste totals 1.3 million tonnes per annum
05
Queensland discards 1.1 million tonnes of food waste annually
06
South Australia generates 0.4 million tonnes of food waste each year
07
Western Australia food waste amounts to 0.7 million tonnes yearly
08
Tasmania produces 0.1 million tonnes of food waste per year
09
ACT food waste is estimated at 0.03 million tonnes annually
10
Northern Territory generates 0.05 million tonnes of food waste yearly
11
Fruit and vegetable waste constitutes 28% of total Australian food waste
12
Dairy products account for 18% of household food waste in Australia
13
Meat and poultry waste makes up 22% of total food waste
14
Bakery products contribute 12% to Australia's food waste total
15
Seafood waste is about 5% of national food waste volume
16
Cereal and grain waste totals 10% of food waste
17
Prepared meals waste is 15% in commercial sectors
18
Edible food waste at farm level is 300,000 tonnes yearly
19
Supermarket food waste is 145,000 tonnes per year
20
Restaurants discard 250,000 tonnes of food annually
21
Household fresh produce waste is 1.2 million tonnes yearly
22
Total avoidable food waste in Australia is 4.5 million tonnes
23
Plate waste in schools totals 50,000 tonnes per year
24
Hospital food waste is 20,000 tonnes annually
25
Retail sector uneaten food waste 200,000 tonnes
26
Processing industry food waste 1 million tonnes yearly
27
Households responsible for 2.5 million tonnes of food waste
28
Manufacturing sector generates 1.6 million tonnes
29
Primary production waste 1.7 million tonnes per year
30
Food service industry waste 0.5 million tonnes annually
Interpretation
Quantity of Waste Interpretation
Australia's industrial-scale inefficiency is such that we could annually throw a banquet for five million people using just the avoidable food we discard.
More related reading
04 · Category
Reduction Efforts24 stats
01
National Food Waste Strategy aims for 50% reduction by 2030
02
OzHarvest rescues 20 million meals annually
03
Foodbank diverts 10 million kg of food from waste yearly
04
WARP project reduced supermarket waste by 20%
05
NSW EPA Love Food Hate Waste campaign cut household waste 15%
06
Victorian bin audits show 10% reduction post-education
07
Queensland Rescue the Roast saved 5,000 tonnes meat
08
SA Food Waste App downloaded 50,000 times
09
WA Food by Nature grants funded 100 projects
10
Tasmanian farm donation program diverts 2,000 tonnes
11
ACT compost trials reduced waste 25% in trials
12
NT community kitchens saved 500 tonnes
13
Supermarket round-up trials saved $10 million worth
14
School plate waste reduced 30% via portion control
15
Hospital meal audits cut waste 18%
16
University apps for surplus food used by 20,000 students
17
Anaerobic digestion plants process 100,000 tonnes/year
18
Composting household programs cover 1 million homes
19
Donation tax incentives increased rescues 25%
20
Smart fridge pilots in 500 households cut waste 40%
21
AI inventory tools in restaurants reduce 15%
22
Farm apps for surplus matching divert 10,000 tonnes
23
National app downloads 500,000 for waste tracking
24
Cold chain improvements saved 50,000 tonnes
Interpretation
Reduction Efforts Interpretation
We're nibbling away at the problem with great success, proving that from high-tech fridges and national apps to simple education and community grit, Australia's multi-course attack on food waste is making a serious dent one rescued meal at a time.
05 · Category
Sources of Waste27 stats
01
Households contribute 39% of total Australian food waste
02
Farm and primary production account for 27% of food waste
03
Processing and manufacturing source 22% of waste
04
Retail and wholesale generate 13% of food waste
05
Food services like restaurants contribute 5% nationally
06
NSW households produce 70% of state food waste
07
Victorian supermarkets discard 20% of state total
08
Queensland farms generate 35% of waste
09
SA commercial sector 25% of waste
10
WA processing plants 30% contribution
11
Tasmanian fisheries 15% of waste
12
ACT households 80% of territory waste
13
NT remote communities 40% household waste rate
14
Supermarkets responsible for 40% of retail waste
15
Bakeries contribute 60% of food service bakery waste
16
Universities generate high plate waste at 25%
17
Defence forces food waste 10% of institutional total
18
Prisons contribute 15% to correctional waste
19
Hotels and hospitality 70% from kitchens
20
Cafes discard 50% avoidable food
21
Fruit growers reject 20-30% of produce
22
Vegetable farms waste 25% at harvest
23
Dairy farms discard 10% of milk production
24
Meat processors waste 15% trimmings
25
Seafood primary production 12% waste
26
Grain storage losses 5-8%
27
Households are the largest source at 2.5Mt/year
Interpretation
Sources of Waste Interpretation
While Australian households proudly wear the crown for wasting the most food, it’s a dubious national team effort where everyone from the farm gate to the dinner plate is passing the buck—and the broccoli—straight into the bin.
Reference
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APA
Felix Zimmermann. (2026, February 13). Australian Food Waste Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/australian-food-waste-statistics
MLA
Felix Zimmermann. "Australian Food Waste Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/australian-food-waste-statistics.
Chicago
Felix Zimmermann. 2026. "Australian Food Waste Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/australian-food-waste-statistics.
Sources & references
31 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
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foodwise.com.au
frdc.com.au
csiro.au
ozharvest.orgagriculture.gov.au
choice.com.au
restaurantandcatering.com.au
schoolcanteens.com.auhealth.vic.gov.audefence.gov.aucorrectiveservices.nsw.gov.auhta.org.au
growcom.com.au
dairy.com.au
mla.com.au
grdc.com.aufoodbank.org.aubioenergy.org.auapco.org.au