We’ve all heard the theory before: waste is bad. But living in a society based on consumerism, it’s very hard not to waste food, money and all sorts of other resources. It takes more than some lectures to stop, think and actually do something about stopping the waste. It takes something like solid fact, and the fact is that our planet is suffering as a result of our food waste, and that switching to a more organized and environmentally aware way of life can make a difference in our futures.
In what way does food waste mean bad news for the environment? You might’ve heard about how negative CO2 emissions are for the environment. Official statistics show that around 20% of all CO2 emissions are a direct result of the processing and transport of our food, which pretty much means that wasting food means that we are emitting all that CO2 for no good reason, not to mention adding to that the CO2 emissions resulting from the transport of the food we threw away to the garbage processing facilities. Add to that the emissions resulted from the decomposing process of all the food, which consist of methane, amongst other things, a gas that is about 20 times more damaging for the atmosphere than even CO2 and you realize that the extra food we buy and throw away adds a lot to the amount of greenhouse gas we emit. It’s been estimated that around 40% of all methane emissions come from landfills, an enormous percentage, all things considered, especially since methane is a gas resulted from the decomposition of organic residue, therefore food.
Statistics show that most western countries will discard, or waste between 25 and 40% of the food produce every year, with some statistics showing numbers as high as 50%. Statistics also show that reducing food waste in developed would be equivalent to reducing one fifth of the emissions resulted from means of transportation today, which is also quite a bit when you think about it. And it all starts in your home, with planning carefully what your food shopping will consist of and with making the most out of everything you buy.
Of course, when you think about food waste from a moral standpoint and consider the fact that the food we throw away is sorely missed by inhabitants of other, less developed countries, the choice to be more judicious when it comes to the way you treat your food becomes a little simpler.
It’s up to you to reduce the amount of pollutants that are being released in the atmosphere, and it can all be as easy as double checking your grocery list and getting a little more creative with your cooking.
Keep in mind that composting is a great way to reuse some of that food to keep it from going to waste, not to mention, develop soil for more!
