Food rescue charity OzHarvest has unveiled a new initiative to tackle food waste with Juice For Good orange juice vending machines.
The ForPurposeCo project uses imperfect or blemished oranges to offer fresh juice at sites across Sydney.
OzHarvest said that since September, almost eight tonnes of imperfect oranges were consumed by Aussies from the first two machines.
The Juice For Good vending machines have been placed at creatively painted construction walls, with the first to appear at Mirvac’s Birkenhead Point and The Cannery in Rosebery. More machines will be placed in other Sydney sites this summer.
Orange farmer Angelo Santangelo from Cornwallis Farm said he is pleased to see his oranges are put to good use.
“We have an orchard in Windsor with 1500 trees that we’ve been running continuously for 70 years. It was my father’s orchard and I took it on. To grow oranges, it takes a lot of blood, sweat, tears, energy and love – so seeing them to go waste makes me feel very sad. The main reason why oranges go to waste is due to blemishes on the skin, or the size as they may be too small. However, the internal quality of the orange is perfect. I feel very proud that my oranges are being used for a good purpose, rather than rotting away,” said Santangelo.
All the profits from the Juice For Good vending machines will be donated directly to OzHarvest to help feed people in need.
Juice For Good vending machines will be popping up at the following locations:
• Lendlease’s new Darling Square precinct at Tumbalong Blvd, near Steam Mill Lane
• 44 Market St, Sydney supported by Dexus
• The Cannery, Rosebery
• Birkenhead Point, Drummoyne supported by Mirvac
• OzHarvest HQ, Alexandria
