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Food Waste Investigation

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Scouts will investigate the amount of food wasted on a camp or multi-day activity.

Sources:

Ask your Unit to consider the purpose of this activity:
- How much food is wasted daily around the world?
- What happens to food when we put it in landfill?
- What could be done with food that would otherwise be wasted?
- How much water or energy did it take to grow the food?
Now plan the camp where your investigation will take place:
- Gather buckets in which you will collect your food waste - at least one per day, though you may need more for larger groups or if you produce a lot of food waste! Ensure your buckets have lids or a way to keep the waste in and wildlife out, otherwise wombats and other animals will have a party.
- How will your Unit dispose of your food waste at the end of the event? A sustainable option is composting it.

Ask your Unit to predict how much food waste you will produce.
During the camp, use your buckets to collect any food waste you produce. This includes ingredients wasted while cooking, any food that has gone off and can’t be eaten and any uneaten leftovers.
On the final day of the camp, observe how much food waste your unit has collected in your buckets.

Discuss with your Unit the amount and types of food waste produced:

Was it more or less than you expected?
Did you think about how much food you were putting in the buckets?
How will your Unit reduce food waste at future activities?
- Buying less? Better food storage? Different types of food?
What did your Unit do with any leftover food at the end of the camp?
- Is this an area where you could reduce waste?
- Is there a community group or charity that could use this food?
Ask your Unit how they could reduce food waste at home
- Have any other units in your district done this activity? Did they get different results?