Food is a vital part of our everyday lives, and unlike most other products, without it, we wouldn’t survive. It being a necessity, however, means that the bits that get wasted, like those egg shells and banana skins, add up quickly into one big problem, a 1.3 billion tonne problem each and every year.
So with that quantity in mind, what effect and impact does that actually have? Firstly it depletes other resources such as water, land, energy, labour and capital when we waste food. Secondly that wasted food also pollutes the air and creates large amounts of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change and global warming. One of these gases is methane, which is 23 times more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas.
On one hand, a lot of this waste is caused during production, in which farming, storage and other basic methods of food production are lacking and inefficient. The other side of food waste is what happens when it reaches the consumer. Often unfinished meals, spoiled produce and unwanted goods are thrown away even though there are many methods for food recycling available and frequently, wasted food sometimes never need be thrown away at all!
The key problems caused on the consumer end are often easily rectified with some simple steps. When people buy food, only a small percentage of consumers plan ahead. By planning your meals ahead you can buy only what you need and prevent that milk going out of date before you use it or that bag of salad going brown. Moreover, even if you do buy more than you actually need, with the proper attention paid to how the product needs to be stored, you can often extend its usage life a lot more, and in some cases, like with loaves of bread, it’s good to freeze it if you don’t think you’ll be able to use it all up in time and just defrost the parts you don’t need. Furthermore, by cooking the right amount, you prevent throwing away any unfinished food and, even if you do have left overs, these can often be stored for another day.
Inevitably there are times when it is impossible to prevent all of the food waste by these methods, and eventually there will be an apple core or bone that needs disposing of. However, even then there are still other options available to the consumer instead of throwing these things in the bin. Have a garden? Start a compost bin for all of your fruit and veg waste, which could then be used to plant your own vegetables and cut out the other side of food production and waste that you never see, whilst giving yourself a fun project and a new inexpensive hobby, in fact you’ll be saving yourself a lot of money. Don’t have a garden or the need for compost? There are many food recycling services provided by the council in England, who will be happy to take this waste and recycle it for you.
With just a few simple changes to your everyday habits you can make a big and positive impact on the amount of food you waste, the energy wasted in disposing of it and the effects it has on the environment. Food recycling has never been simpler.
By Benjamin Rushton