ARTICLE • THE ENVIRONMENT
Where Do Your Leftovers Go?
by Sophia Anne D. Freires
Finally, it is Saturday and your family goes out to dine and to enjoy the moment, as it may be the only time the bunch’s complete. You watch in awe as one of your cousins grab a not-so-few chicken drumsticks and an extra heap of rice from the buffet table. You watch in awe as your cousins tries to devour the plate.
Yet, after five bones and eleven spoons of rice, you find your cousin melting into the chair, looking uneager to take another bite. Given that all other members are too full to eat, you gently tell him to give it a rest and to not force himself to have a clean plate.
This kind of situation happens often, specifically to families and individuals more than capable of providing themselves proper nutrition. Food waste is a common term most people can put a finger to, but not many know of the consequential effects of discarding food.
What is food waste?
First, let’s dissect the meaning behind the word. Food waste can be classified into two types: (1) inedible parts such as bones, eggshells, and (2) edible parts such as pork skin. People cannot do anything about inedible food waste, as eating bones might even cause further damage to their health.
As food waste is a common occurrence, big numbers provide the evidence on how common it really is. According to a report supported by the United Nations, a fifth of the food produced in the year 2019 gets thrown out. It’s only just around 20%, how big is that? All of the discarded food can actually be fitted in 23 million trucks. If you line these trucks bumper to bumper, the line would circle our plant seven times.
So, what exactly is the matter about food waste and why should more people be alarmed?
A problem of greenhouse gas
Garbage collectors bring the discarded food waste to landfills. As the waste keeps coming in, the food waste gets buried underneath and some microorganisms proceed to break the food down into smaller matter.
Why would the microorganisms do that? These microorganisms get the energy they need to supplement their life by just breaking down the food waste. The process of breaking down the food waste is called anaerobic digestion, wherein the breakdown of organic material happens without the presence of oxygen. We have to remember that food waste is considered an example of organic material. Since the food waste is buried under layers of newly-disposed trash, there is no oxygen present.
It seems extremely harmless, however, an additional product created by the process is not something to be taken lightly. The process of anaerobic digestion creates methane, CH₄, a greenhouse gas. This type of gas is responsible for trapping the heat coming from the sun in our skies. While the process is essential to maintain the right temperature, having too much greenhouse gases might be a red flag for us, as more heat will be trapped. This phenomenon pertains to climate change, two big words people nowadays try to eradicate from our growing list of problems.
Now, the methane coming from food waste is responsible for about 10% of greenhouse gas emissions, produced from human activities. Don’t let the small percentage fool you as some campaigners made this statement, “If food waste were a country, it would have the biggest greenhouse gas emissions after the US and China”. The statement alone gives us a glimpse of how threatening food waste can be.
Avoid food waste
Since we are aware of the troubling impact food waste can bring, what can we possibly do? While there are other sources of food waste such as farms and factories, an estimate of 70% comes from our households. Thus, our small efforts combined can take a giant step forward in solving the problem. When it’s grocery day, try as much as possible to make a list and stick to it. While we can’t force someone to just chew up everything on their plate even though their stomach wants to burst, we can always give a gentle reminder to be mindful of their portions next time.
Around the world, governments start to see the growing problem of discarded food waste and are bringing forward solutions, such as capturing the methane produced. However, if we can lend a hand, why not? Solving a global problem requires not just the governments’ policies but also, the cooperation of people that have the means to. Next time, 3 chicken drumsticks would do. The buffet table won’t be leaving you anytime soon.
REFERENCES
- Batchelor, T. (2021, March 6). ‘Massive’ impact of food waste on climate with nearly a billion tons binned each year, finds UN report. The Independent.
- FoodPrint. Food Waste Is a Massive Problem — Here’s Why. (n.d.). Retrieved May 21, 2021.
- United Nations Climate Change. (2020, September 29). Fighting Food Waste Means Fighting Climate Change. UNFCCC.
- Wreg, R. (n.d.). What happens to food waste in landfills? The full environmental impact. Innovate Eco. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
- WWF Philippines. (2019, May). Food waste is never okay! WWF-Philippines conducts the Savour Planet 2019: No Place for Waste in Tagaytay City.
#ARCHIVES: This article was previously published in Hiraya Zine Volume 1, Issue 3: The Environment last May 2021. Download the zine for free here.
This issue is presented in partnership with The Growth Initiative, Wavefarers, and Youth Strike 4 Climate Philippines.
