Garbage, and especially food garbage ends up in huge piles. A lot of developed countries are already working on proper recycling of food waste, but the individual consumer can help as well.
Recycling food can be beneficial for others and yourself.
According to Fareshare “1.9 million tonnes of food is wasted by the food industry every year in the UK”. This happens at the supply stage at the end of each day. Restaurants throw away prepared food which was not ordered as well as individual ingredients. Shops throw away fruits and vegetables which were not bought and don’t look appealing.
A great deal of fruits and vegetables are rejected by shops for purely for cosmetic reasons such as shape, size or colour. In that case the production doesn’t even leave the farm it was cultivated in, but instead gets thrown away. In countries where garbage is recycled, food waste is gathered in huge landfills, where it’s later covered with a thin layer of soil, and left to become natural compost.
However, this in itself is a problem as well. Unfortunately, these landfills become a serious environmental problem. The lowest levels of the landfills contain no oxygen. As the food rots, it gets eaten by anaerobic micro organism which release methane. This gas has a strong negative impact on global warming. In the landfills without recycled materials, there are also plastics, glass, metals and other elements that require a long time to deteriorate.
Check out our infographic on how to reduce food waste:
Recycling your own food leftovers, or simply said – composting, instead of simply throwing them in the rubbish bin has a long list of benefits for you, your community and the environment.
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Plastic bottles are everywhere these days, even floating around in the oceans. Fortunately for the environment, recycling facilities are improving (here in the UK at least) but a lot of plastic bottles still end up in landfill, where they just don’t break down. If you would like to give your plastic bottles a new lease of life once they’re empty, and save money too, then try recycling them into something useful for the garden.
Many years ago, long before my gardening obsession began, I spent a season or two living in a ground floor flat in Newbury that had patio doors that opened onto a backwater. Shortly after moving in we made friends with the local duck population, to the point where we bought poultry corn from the pet stall on the market for them – bread not being the best food for ducks.
COP21, the United Nations conference on climate change, has ended with a ‘landmark’ agreement that climate change is something we all need to tackle together. Last week I was talking about what gardeners can do to reduce their carbon footprint, and a lot of it is about being thrifty with resources – something that tends to come naturally to us! Over the weekend, Ryan has done his bit by recycling plastic plant pots in my direction. He came across a newly landscaped commercial building, where the unwanted plant pots were being discarded.
The government has appointed a new “Food Supplies Minister” to oversee protection of British food supplies through our turbulent Brexit from the European Union. They’ve chosen David Rutley, who worked for various food companies – including PepsiCo and Asda – before becoming at politician, so at least he’s had experience of a proper job. It’s the first time we’ve had a minister purely for food since Lord Woolton was made Minister of Food in 1940.
Last weekend, as the temperatures soared, I found a certain amount of solace in learning more about how plants are being grown in Antarctica – the coldest place on Earth.
Gardening for some provides the daily bread, for others, it’s an escape from reality and for you, it might be your favourite hobby. Nevertheless, a garden decorated to your own preferences will act as a source of inspiration and will provide you a place to gather up your thoughts.
In their original environments, invasive plants are restrained by their natural adversaries, with whom they co-evolved. However, when they are introduced to a new environment without these natural enemies, some plants can flourish and spread uncontrollably, ultimately becoming invasive.
Have you ever wondered which flower best reflects your personality? Fantastic Gardeners just made a quiz which aims to define exactly your inner soul flower, based on your answers in a quest-like scenario. Let’s dig deep into psychology!