Australian households are expected to throw away almost 54 million plates of edible food across the week of Christmas, with actual figures likely to be much higher as festive shopping and over catering lead to more food being bought than can be eaten, according to End Food Waste Australia (EFWA).

It’s a national challenge, with an astonishing number of meals set to go to waste in each state.

NSW: 15.2 million plates               WA: 5.7 million plates     ACT: 1 million plates

VIC: 12.5 million plates                   SA: 4.3 million plates       NT: 1 million plates

QLD: 12.2 million plates                 TAS: 1.6 million plates

Research from EFWA shows that almost 60% of household food waste is edible, and most of that ends up in landfill. “The financial impact is just as large, costing the average household around $2500 every year.”

To combat the significant proportion of good food ending up in bins, EFWA’s The Great Unwaste campaign is calling on all Australians to act against food waste this season by adopting seven simple strategies.

“Built on research that shows Australian households waste more than twice the amount they think they do the campaign uses behavioural science to help people adopt small everyday changes and turn Australia’s food waste problem around.”

In the lead up to Christmas, The Great Unwaste will release daily seasonal tips and give away unwasting prize packs on Facebook and Instagram. The packs include waste-curbing offers and products from IGA, Ziploc, OzHarvest and Temperature Technology.

EFWA Director for Research, Development and Extension Francesca Goodman-Smith said: “Australian households throw out almost 2.5 million tonnes of food each year, which makes us as individuals the largest single contributor of food waste – greater even than restaurants and retailers.

“We know how much careful planning goes into Christmas, and the pressures that impact so many families across the country, so it’s hard to picture that a great amount of this food will never leave the plate.

“With a few simple tips and insights into how we shop, cook, and store food, we can all enjoy the season, reduce unnecessary food waste and save money in the process.”

The Great Unwaste’s top seven strategies for sleighing food waste this season:

1. Check you have enough fridge and esky space
2. Don’t leave food out of the fridge
3. Get guests to bring a dish to avoid over-catering
4. Chase down RSVPs
5. Donate where you can
6. Plan and complete your shop early
7. Let guests serve themselves.

Australian households can access the strategies and enter the prize draw by following @thegreatunwaste on Facebook or Instagram, and can learn more about household food waste at thegreatunwaste.com.au.

Councils and not-for-profits can download a free pack of waste-curbing tips and assets by signing up to The Great Unwaste Partner Hub thegreatunwaste.com.au/partner-with-us.

The Great Unwaste is delivered by End Food Waste Australia and supported with funding from the Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.