Unbeknownst to some, Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay used to be home to shellfish reefs that supported the native Angasi oyster, a variety arguably considered more delicious than its Pacific coast relative. Sadly though, overfishing, pollution and disease have decimated shellfish reefs on the southern coastline of Australia, which includes the loss of hard shell substrate from the seafloor necessary for oyster reefs to grow naturally.

However, the Shuck Don’t Chuck project aims to restore the bay to its former marine glory by recycling restaurant waste originally intended for landfill, which is where Vue de monde and Iki-jime, Seafood by Vue, come into play.

Every week, both restaurants will be collecting all the used oyster, mussel and scallop shells to be transformed into a fully functioning shellfish reef. The recycled shells will be combined with limestone rubble to build a new reef base, making the perfect home for hatchery-reared and wild juvenile Angasi oysters to cement themselves to.

“I want to be the first closed loop, zero food waste restaurant group in Australia,” says Shannon Bennett, restauranteur and Vue Group Creative Director.

“We’ve been taking steps over the last few years to reduce our food waste and the damaging practices that contribute to landfill in Australia.”

The shell recycling cycle

© Fiona Pepper/ABC

© Simon Branigan

“We’ve analysed every element of the restaurant cycle to ensure that nothing is overlooked. Partnering with the Nature Conservancy on this project is another step in the right direction for Vue Group.”

The rejuvenation of our oyster reefs goes beyond the desire to produce more of this salty delicacy, it’s critical for the restoration of biodiversity, native habitats and in turn, greater economic outcomes for the region. Commercial activity in our bay has caused an excess of chemicals like nitrogen and phosphorus, but luckily oysters act as a natural filter for our oceans. An individual oyster is capable of cleaning as much as five litres of water every hour, filtering out pollutants and leaving behind clean water that encourages the return of native special like crabs, fish, snail and sponges.

Sustainability is a driving principle at Shannon Bennett’s Vue Group, the philosophy inspires both the day-to-day work and vision for the future.

“It’s all about doing what we can, sustainability is a challenging area with many contradictions and sometimes misinformation. Our philosophy is that we cannot sit idly by and wait for instruction, we should do what we can right now to help our planet.”

“One day I hope that Vue de monde can become carbon neutral and offset the energy that’s used every day to put each meal on the plate.”