ARIN's CORNER--> Recycling left-over/waste food: What can we do?

By Arinola Akinyemi

Noting the rate at which food production continues to fall in the world generally, with some parts suffering from serious famine, how can we continue to waste food? Simply because we are totally unsatisfied with the food item we have purchased; kept it for so long, its no longer desired and is about to expire; or we had about enough of that meal and the only option is to dispose of the rest OR should we leave things be and continue to waste food as it is being explored as a resource to renewable energy?

The following article talks about Scotland’s plan to tap into recycling waste food as a means of Renewable energy and Sustainable agriculture.

“Scottish households waste more than half a million tonnes of food and drink a year, most of which can be avoided. Significant food waste also occurs in the commercial and industrial waste stream, notably in the grocery supply chain. The embedded carbon and water associated with food waste are costs we cannot afford to bear, so our first priority must be to reduce avoidable waste.

It is good to note that Scottish households are not the only ones involved in this act of food wasting; or how many times in this past week can you confidently say that you finished up your meal without any significant left-over.

However, where food waste is unavoidable this needs to be seen as an untapped resource that can be used to benefit the Scottish economy. The Scottish government has a vision of a low-carbon future in which renewable energy and sustainable agriculture are essential elements. Food waste, when captured separately and processed through anaerobic digestion (AD), can be used to support both of these aspirations.

If just half of the available food waste in Scotland was put through AD it could produce enough electricity to power a city the size of Dundee for six months, and enough biofertiliser to replace 10% of Scotland’s current inorganic fertilizer requirements for arable use.

Given the rising costs of power and fertilizer, this is an opportunity to provide a competitive advantage to Scottish farms and longer term there is potentially an even bigger prize in terms of biogas injection to the gas grid.

Alternatives to mandatory collection, including using macerators or other food waste-disposal units, do not provide the same opportunities to create added value from the material. Waste collected via these alternatives will not meet quality standards that enable them to be applied to land, for example. This means carrying all of the cost of collection without the economic gain.

Additionally, disposing of and treating food waste via the sewer adds stresses to the infrastructure for which it was not designed. This carries an environmental cost via leaks, blockages and the energy used in treatment works, and will lead to increased effluent charges to businesses.

In developing the draft regulatory framework for zero waste, the Scottish government has consulted widely with businesses. On the whole, while the logistics of food waste collection may prove challenging for some smaller businesses, there is agreement on the benefits of the proposed approach, including the long-term savings to be made by businesses through avoiding rising landfill costs.

The proposed approach to food waste, separate collection and AD, is absolutely the right one. It will enable the creation of much-needed products and help households and businesses become part of a zero-waste society” (Ian Guilland, IEMA).






Source: http://www.environmentalistonline.com/article/2011-07-14/what-to-do-with-our-waste-food