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Exploring the world of composting

Fri, May 28th 2021, 10:54 AM
Food/Cooking Garden Nassau Guardian Stories

Think back to when you were a child taking in your plate filled with some food item you despise. If you close your eyes, you may even be able to hear your grandmother's voice, firm and strong, commanding you to eat your food. Like clockwork, she further chastises you with the words, "there are starving children around the world who wish they had this food to eat”. Still, you push the food aside on your plate, readying it for its fate in the trash.

Now, think of your current food habits. When was the last time you tossed an unattractive, but perfectly edible end slice of bread in the garbage? Or glanced at the expiration date on a carton of milk and threw it down the sink without a second thought? More than 240 million slices of bread are thrown away each year, and around 5.9 million glasses of milk are poured down the sink.
When people throw away food that is safe and healthy, it is called food waste. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), about one-third of all food is wasted.
In the rush of daily life, people rarely consider what happens to the food they throw away or how it affects the environment. But they should. Uneaten food is the number one material sent to landfills, ahead of plastics and paper, and it’s a big problem. When food waste ends up in a landfill, it gradually breaks down to form methane, a greenhouse gas that is 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
“Food waste is something we can control, and in New Providence, we don’t have much land available for landfills, so we need to make our current landfill last as long as possible,” says Ginny McKinny, director at the New Providence Ecology Park (NPEP). “When food waste ends up at the landfill, it takes up space and damages the environment by producing methane, which fuels global warming and feeds landfill fires. Food waste in the landfill also produces leachate, which can pollute the water table.”
The best way to reduce the harmful effects of food waste is to prevent it from happening altogether. One tip is to keep track of what is in your refrigerator and cupboards to avoid buying food items you already have. Meal planning before shopping is another way to avoid buying items you may not eat.
Still, even with our best efforts, there will always be food scraps that cannot be consumed, such as eggshells or banana peels. That’s where composting comes in.
May 29 is recognized as International Composting Day. Composting is a great way to recycle household food scraps instead of tossing them in the trash. However, only a small percentage of food is composted worldwide. Still, a growing number of Bahamians are exploring composting as a way to reduce food waste.

Now, think of your current food habits. When was the last time you tossed an unattractive, but perfectly edible end slice of bread in the garbage? Or glanced at the expiration date on a carton of milk and threw it down the sink without a second thought? More than 240 million slices of bread are thrown away each year, and around 5.9 million glasses of milk are poured down the sink.

When people throw away food that is safe and healthy, it is called food waste. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), about one-third of all food is wasted.

In the rush of daily life, people rarely consider what happens to the food they throw away or how it affects the environment. But they should. Uneaten food is the number one material sent to landfills, ahead of plastics and paper, and it’s a big problem. When food waste ends up in a landfill, it gradually breaks down to form methane, a greenhouse gas that is 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

“Food waste is something we can control, and in New Providence, we don’t have much land available for landfills, so we need to make our current landfill last as long as possible,” says Ginny McKinny, director at the New Providence Ecology Park (NPEP). “When food waste ends up at the landfill, it takes up space and damages the environment by producing methane, which fuels global warming and feeds landfill fires. Food waste in the landfill also produces leachate, which can pollute the water table.”

The best way to reduce the harmful effects of food waste is to prevent it from happening altogether. One tip is to keep track of what is in your refrigerator and cupboards to avoid buying food items you already have. Meal planning before shopping is another way to avoid buying items you may not eat.

Still, even with our best efforts, there will always be food scraps that cannot be consumed, such as eggshells or banana peels. That’s where composting comes in.

May 29 is recognized as International Composting Day. Composting is a great way to recycle household food scraps instead of tossing them in the trash. However, only a small percentage of food is composted worldwide. Still, a growing number of Bahamians are exploring composting as a way to reduce food waste.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian

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