Almost 50kg of food waste pulled out of rubbish bins by WasteMINZ in Auckland and Te Awamutu. The average Kiwi household throws out twice this amount every year.

Kiwi consumers are throwing hundreds of dollars' worth of food away every year because they buy too much, do not store it properly and do not use it well.

WasteMINZ, the waste sector industry body, is set to formally launch its anti-food waste campaign, Love Food, Hate Waste, next year.

A similar campaign in England has reduced household food waste by 18 per cent since its launch in 2007.

WasteMINZ surveyed households and found most were throwing away much more food than they realised.

Most estimated they threw away about 5 per cent of the food they bought, or about $390 a year, on average.

READ MORE: France to ban supermarket food waste

But a rubbish bin audit found they were wasting $563 of food every year, or $872 million as a country.

That does not include food put down Insinkerators, composted or fed to animals.

Bread was the most-wasted food, at 10 per cent of food rubbish. That was followed by leftovers, at 7 per cent, potatoes, 5 per cent, and apples, chicken, bananas and lettuces, all 3 per cent of food waste.

WasteMINZ chief executive Paul Evans said people with children aged under 15 and big householders were the worst offenders.

A 2011 survey that included North America, Australia and New Zealand, using American data, found households were responsible for 61 per cent of the country's food waste. Just 7 per cent was wasted at supermarkets, although Evans said they often got the blame.

Countdown spokesman Keith Cowden-Brown, said Countdown ran a Food Rescue programme to donate food that might otherwise go to waste.

"In the last financial year alone, Countdown donated more than $3.5 million of food. All together, last year we donated approximately 509 tonnes of food to those in need," he said.

"We also have partnerships with local farmers for food that's not suitable for human consumption, so as little as possible hits the waste stream. In 2014, we donated over $1.2 million worth of food to farmers."

Antoinette Laird, spokeswoman for Foodstuffs, which operates New World and Pak'n Save, said it donated food, too.

"Common practice is for all stores to monitor sell-by dates closely and many stores ensure that food lines are utilised in their in-store bakeries and butcheries before the expiry date is reached, thus ensuring both little waste and great store made product is on offer."

She said most food waste was not fit for human consumption, such as trimmings, waste meat or seafood products and used cooking oils.

"Foodstuffs has implemented a waste minimisation plan where stores work with our waste provider Envirowaste to divert these waste products to animal stock feed, rendering plants or composting sites. We currently work with a wide range of companies that utilise such waste streams, adding further value to the NZ economy.

Since 2006 Countdown's waste to landfill has dropped by 43 per cent.

Evans said: "We as individuals have a heck of a lot of power, the changes we make can make a big difference."

Want to cut your food waste? Here's how.

Ignore best before dates

Miranda Mirosa, of Otago University, said many consumers did not understand that food was usually perfectly safe to eat after its best before date.

A "best before" date is just an indicator of when food will be at its best. A "use by" date is a safety indicator.

"There is no reason food has to be eaten, from a safety point of view, before the best before date. It's just the manufacturer saying after this date it may deteriorate in terms of look and taste," Mirosa said.

Eggs usually last a fortnight after their best before date, milk can last a month, and tinned food can last years if stored in a cool place. Pickles almost never expire.

Cut the edges off hard cheese and use sour milk in pancakes. Revive wilted salad leaves in cold water.

WasteMINZ's survey found people who wasted a lot of food were significantly more likely to throw out stale bread and bruised fruit and vegetables that were otherwise still edible and could be used for other things, such as breadcrumbs and smoothies.

Store food properly

Mirosa said a lot of food waste was due to people storing things incorrectly.

She said many people did not use their fridges properly, overloading them so air could not circulate and things would get lost, as well as putting food in the wrong part of the fridge.

Most people store milk in the door but because it is temperature-sensitive, it is best stored on the bottom shelf at the back, where the fridge is coldest.

Eggs do best on the middle shelf where the temperature is most consistent. Butter and soft cheese can go in the door.

Ethylene-sensitive vegetables should be stored away from ethylene-producing fruit such as apples, apricots and melons.

Use airtight containers and rotate things in the fridge, with a section kept aside for things that need to be eaten soon.

Keep your potatoes in the dark.

Shop well

People who waste a lot of food tend not to use shopping lists, check their cupboards before they go to the supermarket, or plan their meals.

"And once you get to the supermarket, it's easy to succumb to 'buy one, get one free' offers," Mirosa said.

"Buy two for $3" is not a bargain if you are going to throw one away.