Food Waste Challenge: Innovators from Melbourne and Bandung exploring solutions to tackle food waste

Six innovators from Melbourne and Bandung tried to devise innovations to tackle food waste. What are these innovations?

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Six finalists from the Melbourne-Bandung Food Waste Challenge 2025 gathered at Melbourne Connect on Thursday, 19 June, for a pitch event that organisers capped with an awards ceremony.

These creative solutions, ranging from modular composting systems to waste-to-gas technology, could transform how major cities handle food waste.

All finalists––Circular Vision, Zero Loop and Wasteplant from Melbourne, and Ngadaur, Envmission and BIKI from Bandung––each won awards in different categories. The two cities designed this collaborative programme to find innovations that businesses can implement in the hospitality sector, fresh food markets, and airlines.

Councillor Andrew Rowse (Melbourne Council) speaks at the Pitch Event. Credit: Sup[plied/Andrew Coulter

Xuan Wang from Melbourne-based Wasteplant presented a modular composting system that works in areas without electricity, whilst Ari Satria Bakti from Bandung-based Ngadaur Sustainable Solution focused on accessible technology and zero-waste education.

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