RESEARCH REVEALS $1.2 BILLION PROFIT FROM FOOD WASTE

of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.”

Essentially, what Emerson was saying, revealed the iridescent vital essence of solitude: that being independence – or the ability to stand unflustered, if not influenced by no-one and nothing except for your own ever-centred sense of good, or a good that is bolstered by the triplicate forces of calm, sound principle and purpose.

Once you are acquainted, even intermittently, with the potent quality and liberating potential of solitude, you gain an appreciation of self and others in such a way that lends more than a sacred weight and measure to the comments of Rainer Maria Rilke, who once noted, “I hold this to be the highest task of a bond between two people: that each should stand guard over the solitude of the other.” Or simply, give people in your life the space and freedom to be who they are and want to be, devoid of any pressure or overlyencroaching expectation placed on them by you.

Relatedly, the American writer Bell Hooks once shone a rather piercing light on the topic by suggesting, “Many of us seek community solely to escape the fear of being alone. Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape.” Thus, we in turn become our own comforting destination of choice, at all times, for everyone that we invite into our lives – our own inner selves included.

Australian food retailers make $1.2 billion in proft each year from selling food that households waste, according to new research from The Australia Institute.

This proft means that the major food retailers, such as supermarket duopoly Coles and Woolworths, have a strong incentive to delay reforms that would reduce food waste.

Progress has been slow on reforms such as removing ‘best before’ dates from products that do not need them, and Australia looks unlikely to meet the goal of halving food waste by 2030.

Key points:

• The 2021 National

Food Waste Strategy Feasibility Study found Australia wasted 7.6 million tonnes of food a year, equivalent to 152 Sydney Harbour Bridges.

• Households wasted food worth $19.3 billion in 2018-19, or an average cost of between $2,000 and $2,500 per household.

• Calculating the average food retail industry proft at 6%, Australia Institute analysis has found supermarkets are making $1.2 billion annually from wasted food.

• This provides food retailers with a strong incentive to delay reforms that would reduce food waste, such as changes to ‘best before’ and ‘use by’ date labelling, as recommended in the National Food Waste Strategy Feasibility Study.

• Australia Institute polling shows strong support for policies that would reduce food waste, including labelling reform (78% support), relaxed cosmetic standards (72%) and kerbside collection of food waste (75%).

“We know how to reduce food waste, but the supermarkets have $1.2 billion reasons to delay reforms that would reduce this proft,” Australia Institute Senior Economist Matt Grudnoff said.

“Labelling reforms would help reduce food waste, but companies like Woolworths insist such discussions ‘are in their infancy,’ years after being proposed.

“Whether the food is consumed or wasted is beside the point as far as supermarkets are concerned. But reforms to reduce the amount of food people purchase –and in turn waste – will inevitably lead to reduced profts.

“The government should pick a side – are they trying to help consumers or supermarket profts? If they are serious about tackling the cost of living crisis they should be helping consumers with one of their biggest hip pocket burdens –groceries.

Rous urges community to use less water to delay need for restrictions / Rous urges community to reduce water use as the Bureau of Meteorology announces El Nino

Rous County Council is asking the Northern Rivers community to use less water now and help delay the need for water restrictions.

The forecast for a drier-than-average spring combined with higher temperatures is expected to put more pressure on the region’s water sources. Water levels at Rous’s primary water source, Rocky Creek Dam, have steadily dropped due to low infows and people using more water. The dam is currently at 86 per cent capacity. Water restrictions may be introduced early in response to continued low infows and a dry seasonal outlook, according to Rous’s General Manager, Phillip Rudd.

“As a community it’s important we make every effort to conserve water now. While many in the Northern Rivers will be grateful for the spell of dry weather, without rain we will enter water restrictions. If the prolonged dry period continues and people do not reduce their use, we are likely to face restrictions before Christmas,” Mr. Rudd said.

“During long periods of dry weather, the demand on our water supply increases. People use water to wash their properties, cars and to water their gardens. We’re asking the community to think twice, especially before using water outdoors. Water is a limited natural resource, and we are all responsible for its effcient use,” Mr. Rudd said.

During dry weather, Rous also experiences an increase in demand for water from water carters who are contracted by residents to replenish rainwater tanks. Permanent conservation measures include:

• Water outdoors in the early morning or late afternoon, between 6.00am and 10.00am or

• between 3.00pm and 10.00pm.

• Use hand-held hoses that are ftted with an on/off trigger nozzle.

• Clean vehicles and boats on your lawn using a hose ftted with an on/off nozzle; and

• Don’t use water to clean driveways, paths or paved areas, except for health and/ or safety reasons or when using a high-pressure cleaner. Indoors, replacing a shower with a watereffcient model is one of the easiest and most costeffective ways to reduce water use. An ineffcient shower can use between 15L and 25L of water every minute, whereas an effcient WELS 5 star rated one uses as little as 4.5L every minute.

Rous is actively working to ensure the Northern Rivers has a secure and resilient water supply that will meet the community’s needs through its Future Water Project 2060.

Phillip Rudd said in addition to the St Helena Pipeline Project “we are taking immediate steps to secure water for the region now by developing new and enhanced groundwater schemes at Alstonville and Woodburn. To meet the challenge of a growing population and an increasingly variable climate, we are taking an ‘all options on the table’ approach to long-term planning. This involves also investigating a range of potential water supply options including new groundwater sources, purifed recycled water for drinking, desalination and surface water”.