Where the leftovers go:
our zero-waste routine

Catering has a dirty secret and it is not the mayonnaise. It is the skip bin behind the venue at midnight, full of food that was fine at 9 pm.

Here is the lifecycle of a leftover at our events, in the order it happens.

Step one: do not make the waste

The 5% buffer rule. We over-cater 5% to cover surprise appetites and last-minute adds, and no more. Above 10% you are not a generous host, you are funding landfill.

Accurate headcounts are worth more than any donation program. The greenest meal is the one that got eaten.

Step two: food-safe surplus gets donated

Unserved food that never hit the floor gets packed in thermoboxes and collected by OzHarvest the same night or first morning. Prepared meals in sealed packs, whole fruit, unopened dairy: all of it goes to Perth shelters and food programs.

What cannot be donated: anything that sat on a buffet line past the two-hour mark, anything plated and returned. Those become step three.

Sustainability in catering is not a vibe. It is a set of bins with labels on them.

Step three: compost everything else

Scraps, plate returns and prep trim go to compost, not the general bin. The kitchen diverts about 94% of its waste stream this way and has since 2021.

Staff meals absorb a surprising amount too. Feeding the crew the same menu your guests got is standard practice and honestly the best quality control there is.

What you get as the client

A one-page impact sheet after every event: kilos served, kilos donated, kilos composted, kilometres driven. Most clients staple it straight into their ESG report and move on with their lives.

It is not glamorous. But it is the difference between 'we care about sustainability' and an actual number your sustainability team can use.