Researchers find way to tackle Australia’s $36.6 billion food waste problem by turning it into a highly valuable material

Food waste is a global problem with approximately 1.3 billion tonnes of food wasted each year throughout the food lifecycle – from the farm to food manufacturers and households.

Across the food supply chain, Australians waste around 7.6 million tonnes of food each year. This costs our economy approximately $36.6 billion annually.

In a recent study published in Bioresource Technology Reports, we have found a way to use food waste to make a versatile material known as nanocellulose. In particular, we used acid whey – a significant dairy production waste material that is usually difficult to dispose of.

Mixing waste with bacteria

Nanocellulose is a biopolymer, which means it’s a naturally produced long chain of sugars.