The cost of food that gets trashed anywhere between the farm and your plate is hundreds of billions of dollars a year in just the US. But a lot can be salvaged as ingredients for other food products.
There are many hard lessons learned from the pandemic; one is that our food system needs a serious reboot. Luckily, we need only look to nature’s cycles for clues on how to fix it.
Taiwan has made significant efforts in protecting its environment. A scholar writes about how the country educates its children on protecting the environment through Buddhist stories.
Turning food scraps and yard trimmings into compost improves soil, making it easier for people to grow their own food. City composting programs spread those benefits more widely.
Climate change, globalization and concerns about rat poison soon could drive rat infestations to levels not seen in centuries. One way to curb them is getting humans to stop wasting food.
Cities around the world are struggling to manage their mountains of waste. We can use the Internet of Things for smart waste systems that collect, sort, reuse and recycle most of what is thrown out.
The nutritional, financial and environmental cost of an average family’s weekly food waste is shocking. It equates to five adult meals, 143 showers, $18 and 23 kg of CO2.
South Africa’s recently introduced carbon tax may lead to financial losses in the short term, but it’s necessary and will be beneficial in the long term.
Waitrose’s trial of packaging-free products in one of its stores is welcome news, but its just the start of what supermarkets should be doing to address the climate and ecological crises.
Supermarkets and farms have acted to ensure they discard fewer “ugly” and “wonky” fruit and vegetables. However, the bulk of the problem lies with households.