Food Waste? Too valuable to waste! Essay

According to statistics from the Environmental Protection Department, in Hong Kong, solid bumble generated insouciant weighs around 17000 t stars, of which around 30% is constitutive(a) matter (2700 tones) which is roughly embody to 120 double-deck buses in size. Comp atomic number 18d this to the US where, revealed by the Environmental Protection Agency, only when(prenominal) 12% of elope stream was scrap of nourishment in 2005. exceptional c atomic number 18 in disposal is required for these putrescible moulders, otherwise horror to the environment will be caused. victuals waste not only causes a feculent choking smell, but also discharges a wide t exclusivelyy of concentrated greenhouse gases, methane and polluted water, each(prenominal) of which are leadership to the global warming that we highly concerned about.All the solid nourishment wastes are currently attached to landfills, however all the existing landfills will be saturated within 5 years. Construction of new landfill is a caper because of a lack of available space that is far out-of-door from residential areas. Therefore, seeking out alternative ways for sustenance waste interference has become an imperative for the government. Before discussing cutting fare waste at its fountain, there is another possible des fine for surplus fare anyhow disposal Food recycling. The food waste for food recycling gage be categorized into dickens parts edible (bread, vegetable and m eat on) and poisonous (bones and eggshell).Food ball up ProcessorBasically, inedible food wastes are reclaimable in that they can be recycled and reused. Through natural biodegradation by bacteria, all the organic waste will be converted into organic fertiliser and soil stabilizer.According to the journal of Food waste composting sustainable organic waste management (Jonathan, 2003), in some advanced countries in Europe, cardinal food waste treatments has been practiced for years. All the domestic food waste will be collected and transported to central composting facilities which are installed far away from the residential areas. However, this Brobdingnagian facility is not available to Hong Kong owing to the circumscribed area.The Ecotech Food Waste Processor, a new technology for the same utilisation is being tested in Hong Kong, including Hong Kong International Airport, housing estates and universities. Due to the tiny space of Hong Kong, it is well-designed for being used in small communities such as restaurants and housing estates which are the main sources of food waste. A large bear on capacity 100kg per day is supported with a small sized machine.The self-regulating mainframe is easy to operate and is equipped with self-adjustment of temperature and moisture which are fatal parameters for the speed of reaction. Also, the specially formulated microbes and materials are used in the processor to increase the rate of biodegradation. To enhance the transportation effic iency, the volume of food waste will be decrease by about 90% in 24 hours. The composite fertilizer contains high nutrient value including atomic number 7 which is a major element for plant growth.This new technology is desirable for Hong Kong, as it has limited space. All the food waste can be recycled and become useful materials rather than being inclined in landfill. too reducing the load of landfill, the valuable organic materials, which are transformed from the waste, are nutrients to our health and the Earth. Since vegetables grown by organic fertilizer is more than healthier to human than those grown by chemical fertilizer. Therefore, this processor should be widely used in Hong Kong in locate to minimize the numerate of food waste and raise public awareness of this exigent puzzle. purpose little Food DonationThe Environmental Protection Department stated that the amount of food wasted by Hong Kongs restaurants, hotels, and food manufacturers has more than treble i n the past five years.Effort should be focused on collecting leftover food donation as a huge pile of edible food waste is created from restaurants every day. Foodlink is a not-for-profit organization working on this aspect. It takes surplus food from over 40 hotels and restaurants and delivers it to charity groups such as Home of Love in player Shui Po and Action Care that works with the less privileged communities in society.Regarding to an article The food chain (Grace, 2012), about one million commonwealth in Hong Kong are suffering from hunger and struggling to fill their stomachs. fresh cooked food is something that they cannot support on a daily basis, especially for the one million people in Hong Kong who are living below the need line. Actually, those government-sponsored food banks only provide canned or prepackaged food which is unhealthy in the long term. On the contrary, the hot leftover food from the hotels and restaurants is nutrient rich.In fact, this creates a t riple win situation for the landfills, charities and hotels. By examining the amount of excess food that transport to the charity, the hotel can determine the allow quantity of food for each day. Eventually, not only less food waste will be produced, but the cost of excess food production and food waste treatment can be reduced and eliminated. Also, less recyclable food will be wasted and disposed to landfills. Therefore sponsorship to those charities and public promotions is an obligation for the Hong Kong government.As the old saying goes streak is better than cure, cutting the food waste at its source is the best ways to solve this issue. However, despite there being less food waste being disposed to landfills, the food waste problem will continue to occur if the eating habits do not change.Food waste chargeSimilar to the solid garbage charges being promoted in the past few months, food waste charges could be implemented in restaurants to minimize this problem commercially. Acc ording to Friends of the Earth, in the catering industry, hotel buffets and restaurants that offer all you can eat are the major sources of uneaten food, which then goes into the landfills.Many customers whose eyeball are bigger than their stomachs usually order far more dishes that they are able to consume, so the surplus food eventually has to be disposed of. Some hot pot restaurants that provide all you can eat strictly charge the leftover food per kilogram in order to minimize theproblem. However, only a few hotel buffets in Hong Kong are automatic to charge for the uneaten food since it may lower its attractiveness.In foreign countries, capital of the United Kingdom and America are good role models that are attempting to use this policy to solve the food waste issue. A Chinese restaurant Kylin baste in London will charge a $32 wastage salary for the excess food. A guilty wages is imposed to charge the uneaten food in a Japanese restaurant located in Manhattan.In order to enhance the popularity of food waste charges, promotion and communications with restaurants are necessary for the government. Through this policy, it arouses public awareness of food waste so that the eating habit may finally improve. Since the food waste fee acts as a reminder and warning to customers to make self-adjustments to their appetite.All in all, for thousands of years, famine has continued to happen somewhere throughout human history. In fact, the current food production and storage in the world is more than enough to support the whole populations if we are able to minimize food waste. The food waste processor, leftover food donation and fee charging are the substantive measures to minimize the food waste and reduce the load of landfills from two main aspects (usage and source of food waste). As a Chinese proverb says every grain is from hard toil, hardship is required in food growing, we should cherish food and respect the nature that nurtures us.(1261 words)References1 . Food Waste Management in HK. (2011). Environmental Protection Department. Retrieved from http//www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/waste/prob_solutions/owt_food.html2. municipal Solid Waste in The United States 2009 Facts and Figures. (2010). Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved from http//www.epa.gov/wastes/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw2009rpt.pdf3. Jonathan, W. (2003, May). Food waste composting sustainable organic waste management. New Horizons, 3, 12-13. Retrieved from http//www.hkbu.edu.hk/cpro/online_pub/nh0203/nh0203_12-13.pdf4. observe of Solid Waste in Hong Kong Waste Statistics for 2011. (2012). Environmental Protection Department. Retrieved from https//www.wastereduction.gov.hk/en/materials/info/msw2011.pdf5. Grace, T. (2012, April 19). The Food Chain. Retrieved from http//hk.asia-city.com/city-living/article/food-chain6. Order Less Waste Less. (2012). Friends of the Earth. Retrieved from http//www.foe.org.hk/ take in/geten.asp?id_path=1,%207,%2028,%20150,% 204310,%204566