Put a Stop to Methane Emissions, Starting with Ourselves

24 May 2020 1219 views

Highlight

  • The Vatican City and Washington D.C. launched campaigns urging churches and restaurants to take serious action on food waste management.
  • The goal is to achieve a 50% reduction in food waste by 2030.
  • Food waste is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect or global warming.
  • The Cornell research team discovered a way to convert food waste into fuel.
  • If achieved, the effort will bring about a solid system of resource circulation and recycling.

Today, the activity that is essential and appears to be one of life’s pleasures is undoubtedly “eating.” It doesn’t matter if one prefers eating a lot, or little, clean food or a buffet, the end destination is fullness and deliciousness. However, food waste takes a different path. Many people may not know that “food scrap” or food waste are among major contributors to global warming.

Each year, millions of tons of food waste are generated, and only a small amount is recycled. A portion of food waste, of which isn’t separated from other waste types or lacks proper management, is left for natural decomposition. Many people may not know that food waste is one of the main causes of the greenhouse effect or global warming due to methane, a greenhouse gas, it produces once it starts decomposing. As a result, many countries have to come up with measures to cope with food waste, starting at the household level towards restaurants. The food waste will eventually enter the process overseen by the government department responsible for waste management.

Such measures are introduced to the Vatican City and Washington D.C., where all churches and restaurants are urged to strictly adhere to the food waste management with the goal of reducing food waste by 50% within 2030. Another development is the scientific advancement created by researchers at Cornell, who discovered a method to turn food waste into fuel. Importantly, such development can also transform animal carcasses into part of the fuel production process.

Meanwhile, in Thailand, there is a company introducing a comprehensive waste management system, SCG’s Bang Sue Model. SCG believes that to make a positive environmental change, we must change our habits. The Bang Sue Model’s food waste management encourages employees to choose the size of the meal dish: small, medium, or large, to minimize the amount of food waste. Plus, it also collaborated with food vendors to prepare the right amount of raw materials to cut food leftovers. The canteen also provides a separate bin dedicated to food scraps. The collected food waste will go through the decomposing process and be turned into soil improvement substances or organic fertilizers used in gardening within SCG office premises at Bang Sue. These actions do not only help mitigate global warming, but also increase overall recycling.

Apart from complying with the public waste management policy, we can start at ourselves in taking further steps to manage food waste. Our committed action will help reduce methane production, a major contributor to global warming. Although it looks like a seemingly small action, it will surely create a positive and long-term impact on the planet.

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