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Food Waste Emissions

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF FOOD WASTE EMISSIONS

According to the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) 70% of all food wasted “post farm gate” in the UK is by households. Indeed 16% of all edible food, by weight, bought by households is wasted. This is in addition to the unavoidable waste in the home, such as vegetable peelings and meat bones. The production, transport and storage of this astonishing quantity of food and drink gives rise to some 17MT of greenhouse gas emissions each year, according to WRAP, which is close to 25% of total emissions due to cars on our roads

We are all aware of the impact that the private car is having on our emissions; particularly as in 2018 some 21% of new cars sold in this country were SUVs, emitting unnecessarily large quantities of greenhouse gases. WinACC and many other organisations and individuals campaign to reduce the use of petrol and diesel cars. I’ve an idea that if we could reduce emissions by a quarter at a stroke, most of us would be pretty pleased.

Well, eliminating household food waste would apparently achieve that, as well as saving us a lot of money. In fact WRAP estimates the total value of all “post farm gate” food wasted as being £19bn per year, which means about £475 per household. Sounds like a win-win. All it takes is a bit of organisation when doing the household shop.

Of course eliminating household food waste, or at least reducing it significantly, will not only reduce emissions by an astonishing amount, but will release a huge amount of agricultural land, a lot of it in the UK. This might be used to grow what we already grow in a more sustainable way, or to grow more of our own food as we do now and so import less, or perhaps be “rewilded”. There are arguments in favour of all of these. I suspect that many would favour the first. This all sounds like a win-win-win now!

There is increasing concern about food production methods, both in this country and elsewhere. Those who become aware of how most meat is produced are, to say the least, uncomfortable about how animals are treated. An increasing number are also becoming concerned about how the natural fertility and soil structure of our intensively farmed land is being impacted. So if this additional land were to become available, as well as Brexit giving us the opportunity to set our own agricultural regulations, what an opportunity to start making UK agriculture more sustainable.

There are many ideas out there about how this could be done. Many include a fallow period as part of a rotation, during which animals graze the land. Their manure improves the fertility of the soil and their hoof action aerates it, ready for a crop to grow without chemical fertilisers. Perhaps, after all, there is room in this sustainable system for meat and dairy, but produced in the “old fashioned” way; and therefore costing a lot more than now.

Food for thought!

Brian Shorter

Winchester Action on Climate Change Volunteer

 

 

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