According to a government report, in London food waste accounts for nearly 20% of domestic waste. Whereas bones, egg shells, banana skins and the like are unavoidable, a lot of the waste can be avoided.
It is estimated that about 30% of what is in individual rubbish bins is food waste. With 7 million tons of food estimated at £12.5 billion being wasted in UK every year, something is clearly not going right.
The Waste Hierarchy
To their credit, the London local authorities, and the mayor in particular understand the gravity of the situation and to try and manage it, they have come up with what they call the Waste Hierarchy.
At the top of the Waste Hierarchy pyramid is prevention and reduction of food waste. This should be done at both the production and individual levels. Manufacturers need to work with the quantity of material that they require to ensure minimum wastage.
Individuals can also make their contribution by buying just what they require. From the amount of waste, it is clear that most people cook way beyond what they need, and then when they cook it, they do not eat it on time.
Reusing is the next platform in the hierarchy. This looks at how we can make use of the waste that has already entered the system.
Recycling, which is the next platform is all about crushing or melting a product so that it can be put to another use. When waste food finds its way into the landfills, it does not just rot, it produces a large amount of methane, a gas which is extremely harmful to the environment. Food waste should be recycled.
Recycling food waste is simple. The waste is collected in an outdoor bin that is provided by the council. On the designated day, the waste will be collected by an eco-conscious waste removal company that will take it to an anaerobic digestion facility where it will be processed in the most efficient way possible, turning it into electricity or compost which can be used by farmers.
Other recovery methods such as incineration and pyrolysis process which produces power, heat and fuel are next, followed lastly, by disposal.
Drawbacks
Even with such an elaborate plan tabled by the local authority, why is the problem of waste food still persisting? It is becoming clear that more needs to be done to contain the food waste.
One of the reasons the situation has been so slow in changing is because of the 33 boroughs, only 18 have an anaerobic digester. In the case of separate food waste collection services, only 23 boroughs offer this, and the number falls to 16 boroughs when talking of flats. This means that half of the households in London are not provided with the option of recycling food waste.
When figures are tabled, there is a worrying trend. Even though since 2008 the waste that is controlled by the local authorities has been declining, on average the figure is still below par, standing at 34%. What is even more worrying is that during the last 3 years, London’s recycling rates have stagnated. In the year 2013/14 the recycling rate was lower than the previous period.
Another drawback is related to cost. Every year, the boroughs are spending over £50 million to dispose of food waste and so they are reluctant to spread their reach further as this would result in taking on additional waste.
It was also discovered that the fear of vermin infesting the roadside bins is apparently very real. Barnet is a specific example. Because of the fear of a vermin infestation, between 70 to 75% of the residents would not participate in the exercise of food waste collection.
It is apparent that the people’s concerns need to be looked into and where appropriate, create positive awareness.
A Ray of Sunlight
West London stands out for all the right reasons in the discussion of food waste management. The local authority partnered with a private organization and in just 6 weeks, they were able to reduce the amount of avoidable food waste by about 14%.
They carried out campaigns through the print media, banners, radio and digital platforms. They also held community activities and fun events in their attempt to influence the people to change their food waste habits.
If it has been done by one borough, it can be done by all. If such a campaign could be replicated in all the other boroughs, then there would be a high chance that the impact would be encouragingly greater.
Food waste management is a complex affair and London has shown a lot of initiative in addressing the issue. However, there is still room to improve their approach so that the end-results are more encouraging.