Food Waste Recycles in the United State - Essay Example

? Kau Hang Hui WRTG 3012 Heather 1st December, Food waste recycles in United s Introduction Wastefood is a global problem that has not fully been mitigated over long period of time. Averagely a third of the world produced food goes into waste. Method such as recycling can be used to deal with such situation so that waste is made useful to the society. In low income countries (underdeveloped countries) most food go into waste at the production level while in developed countries most waste come after such stages like processing and production. Going by the research carried out in Arizona in 2004, 14-15% of edible food goes into waste. Unfortunately people go to an extent of purchasing food they really doesn’t need and a staggering 93% had done that in United States. General waste recycling Almost all the material we use day to day can be recycled. For example, glass, plastic, textile, electronics and metal. The materials to be recycled must have a collection system from where they get transported to a collection center, sorted out, cleaned and then reprocessed into new material ready for rebranding(Jenkins & Buffon, A, 2009). Normally recycling produce fresh supply of the same material for example used office paper converted to a new office papers. Recycling is a process used to covert a useless material (waste) into a new product to prevent it from: 1. Causing unnecessary air pollution. Incorrectly dumped garbage has bad smelling odor that is not friendly for human existence. 2. Reduce consumption of fresh raw material. Resources are limited in supply and putting future needs into consideration and not forgetting the future generation, we need to use resources conservatively. For example depletion of resources like energy can be bad for the future generation. 3. Reduce energy usage. Allen Hershkowtz a senior scientist with the national resource defense council (NRDC) says, “Recycling is ecologically better compared to using virgin material. When you make aluminums from recycled sources instead of bauxite ore, you save 95% of the energy (). 4. Control water pollution from land filling. Filling of rubbish everywhere causes emissions that are full of dangerous chemicals. When rain falls, large chunk of the waste is washed into the water bodies. 5. Lower greenhouse gas emissions and save fuel. Gas emissions such as Co or Co2 are harmful to human coexistence due to the destructive nature of such gases to the environment through causing ozone layer depletion. 6. Reduce environmental effects (ISO 14001:2004) Environmental management control of recycling practice. Emerging effect of improper disposal is high as far as environment is concerned. It helps conserve the natural resources and reduces environmental impact from logging and mining (D.M Sullivan, et al, 2003). 7. Reduce cost. It was believe in United States that disposal of waste is cost effective compared to recycling and thus they adopted a system of dumping and burning. Unfortunately this is quickly changing and the condition prompted William Thomson to say, “With landfill and incineration disposal cost rising steeply and their current reliability in question, it is important that Network move beyond its traditional reliance on dump-and–burn solutions. The local government and government believe it is a way of reducing littering and reduce cost of drinks. United States of America has had a challenge on waste handling since 1970 when they saw need for a change. Depositing in the landfills was becoming less of an option and a risky development to pursue. Some waste was considered too toxic in nature. By around 2006, the percentage of recycled Municipal solid waste was 32.5%, combustion with energy recovery at 12.5% and a discarded 12.5%. Food loss analysis all over the world Food loss and waste per person and year Total At the production and retail stages By consumers Europe 280 kg (620 lb) 190 kg (420 lb) 90 kg (200 lb) North America and Oceania 295 kg (650 lb) 185 kg (408 lb) 110 kg (240 lb) Industrialized Asia 240 kg (530 lb) 160 kg (350 lb) 80 kg (180 lb) sub-Saharan Africa 160 kg (350 lb) 155 kg (342 lb) 5 kg (11 lb) North Africa, West and Central Asia 215 kg (474 lb) 180 kg (400 lb) 35 kg (77 lb) South and Southeast Asia 125 kg (276 lb) 110 kg (240 lb) 15 kg (33 lb) Latin America 225 kg (496 l 200 kg (440 lb) 25 kg (55 ) Food waste recycling in USA It has been a challenge over the years dealing with the smelling food waste and the recycling techniques had not been forthcoming. Due to smell and separation issues, the complete food recycling measures had not been achieved yet. Thanks to San Francisco who devised a way of handling food craps through the use of color coded separation system that help eliminate the wastes into manageable distinct groups. It is a waste diversion strategy where food and other compostable materials like soiled paper, waxed card boards which make up of around 20% of the total waste are separated at the home level. The system called “Fantastic three” where organic waste goes into green wheeled collection cart. Then trucks are used to transport them to two composting facilities from where the waste is ground mixed and stored. After few months and natural decomposition having played its part and its now compost approved for agriculture. Fortunately San Francisco has reasonable people who are ready to try new concept. Some of the resident’s even gain from the idea as one businessman saves 1600 dollars a month due to waste hauling fee. San Francisco had passed a city ordinance that made them recently adopt method of composting food waste mandatory hence took a lead among USA cities to succeed in having a large scale (Jenkins & Buffon, A, 2009 ). Other cities Seattle are now following San Francisco’s lead and have already accepted mixing of foodcrap with yard waste for composting collection since 2009.Kate Krebs, executive director of the national recycling coalition comments that, “Food and green waste are the new recycling frontier.” http://www.epa.gov/foodrecovery/images/foodchart.jpg The chart shown above is extracted from (http://www.epa.gov/foodrecovery/images/foodchart.jpg) show that food waste take the highest percentage of overall waste at 21% and yet it is one of the least recycled waste in the world. Therefore the future of getting into a waste free error lies with how United States will deal with 36million tons of food waste that go into the landfills instead of being used to feed the people or composted to valuable soil additive that enrich it and increase its productivity. It is beneficial to recycle this food waste than fill them into landfills. Environmental benefits Unfortunately methane is formed in landfills when the food decomposed which is a gas that endangers the ozone layer and causes global warming 21 times better that carbon dioxide. In United States, 20% of methane emissions are related to disposal hence the need for a less risky alternative disposal method to cut out global warming. Since food is a final product, there must be an initial input in terms of transport, manufacturing, growing and disposing of food material which is associated with 13 percent of the total green house gases. Therefore by reducing amount of the food wasted, we can as well do reduce green house gas emission. Lifetime use of soil has continued to degrade the quality and a recycling method is really necessary to revive the soil and improve its economic viability. Compost made from food waste is efficient in improving soil structure and improving its health while at the same time make it drought resistance by reducing need for supplementary water, fertilizer and pesticides. Such kind of soil has improved anaerobic digestions and can also be turned into a renewable energy. The whole concept increases sanitations to the next level as shown by the condition in San Francisco where public health and safety is a real condition. The separation is to ensure of the waste are dropped into trash where they attract rodents and cockroaches. Food scraps is placed in as safe, leak proof and reusable (Hisako N, Peter C. J & Sarah C, 2011). Economic benefits The lower disposal cost paid by some business lower their expenditure hence they are ready to charge less for the sake of their customers. This is because a good quantity will be sent for composition rather than land filling. Conservative system of approach can reduce food expenditure as less waste is bought. Staff efficiency is increased but at the same time they experience less labor return needed. However some of the food should be donated as a whole, through rescue organization and through this it can accumulate tax benefits. Social benefits A lot of people in the United States need this food due to lack of food security. Around 50 million of Americans luck food security as they depend on food rescue organization hence need for better approach to food usage to feed the hungry. Melbourne fortunately has a cafe regarded as waste free the manner in which they carry out there recycling. They doesn’t depend on municipal to earn that label but uses a close loop operation such that all their produce come in reusable plastic crates They then avoid the recycling been by developing a relationship with local organic and biodynamic food producers who supply their products packed in reusable crates, kegs and containers. The chefs also eliminate need for manufactures’ supply by making all the foods from scratch. The cafe mill their own flour, bake their own bread and make their own yoghurt. However the food waste they create goes into a dehydrator tucked at the cafe back alley and run for approximately seven hours and turns the 100kg of organic matter into a 10kg of sterile nutrient rich fertilizers. This compost is used in the cafe owner’s farm to be used to grow carrots and tulips (Albert’s E C, 2013). The world population is actively on the rise and this result to more solid organic waste from animal, food waste and fermentation industry waste. Unfortunately this waste can be used to make energy which is soon getting depleted since the reserves are non-renewable. Biodiesel is recyclable and can offer a good alternative to fossil fuels. Considering that 84% of this biodiesel come from rapeseed oil and 13% sunflower, then large scale production will only lead to deforestation and damage to our ecosystem. To avoid this, the world can focus on production of non-edible oil derived from solid organic waste. Fortunately insect like Saprophagous larvae feed on solid organic waste and can be converted to insect oil and nutrition. In addition, black soldier fly from larvae converted from organic waste such pig or cattle manure can be used for biodiesel production (Yang S, Li Q, Zeng Q, Zhang J, Yu Z, et al. 2012) Conclusion The future of food recycling is getting better in the United States of America which like other countries had previously focused more on recycling of metals, plastics, paper and glass and neglected the easiest material to recycle. Fortunately in the last 10years and due to pressure of reducing space for landfills and rising disposal fee, the economic viability can no more be assumed. But United States has a long way to go as statistic shows only 3% of the 34million tones of waste that reached the landfills were diverted from landfills and incinerators for composting. A hierarchy is developing that show the diversion criteria on how such waste food should be used as follows; 1. Reduction /prevention of food wastage. 2. Feeding people 3. Feeding animals 4. Industrial uses 5. Composting 6. Anaerobic digestion. The Americans need to know that the world is full of people who cannot afford daily meal and therefore it is unnecessary purchasing excess food that results to waste. The excess food can be channeled to the needy through food banks that feed the needy and excess food scraps can be fed to animals like pigs and that will greatly reduce waste food channeled for composting or landfills. However food waste can also be used in industries by converting to grease, fats and oil into bio-fuel. Compost manures are one of the best with less environmental and soil effect hence farmers should use it as an additive. Lastly organic waste can also be turned into soil additive and produce methane methane gas which is a renewable source of energy. Anaerobic digestion is the natural addition of food waste in sewer system in condition without oxygen where bacteria break them down to produce oxygen (Gyuseong Han, Seung Gu Shin, Juntaek Lim, Minho Jo, & Seokhwan Hwang, 2010). Recommendation Therefore United States needs to go through a system of; 1. Campaign and train the public on the objectives they want to achieve and how they want to achieve it. 2. Teach the public about food hierarchy and encourage its applicability. 3. Create a garbage collection system of separating waste that makes it easier for the transportation to various necessary processes. 4. Creation of composting firms that work together with the public and intern work together with the farmers who uses the compost manure. 5. Call for government support in terms of revising the policy and call for inter state government support in overseeing the plans. Through this only a small percentage of the waste will reach the landfill and the problem over time is controlled. A policy that calls for public participation in the food recycling industry is therefore necessary for social, economic and environment. Annotated Bibliography 1. Yang S, Li Q, Zeng Q, Zhang J, Yu Z, et al. (2012) Conversion of Solid Organic Wastes into Oil via Boettcherisca peregrine (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) Larvae and Optimization of Parameters for Biodiesel Production. PLoS ONE 7(9): e45940. doi:10.1371/ journal. pone 0045940 According to, Conversion of Solid Organic Wastes into Oil via Boettcherisca peregrine, Conversion of wastes into productive oil is attainable with effective utilization of Boettcherisca peregrine. The study achieved substantial outcomes in reaching for economic exploitation of the solid organic wastes into an substitute feedstock highly utilizable in the generation of the biodiesel as it shown high oil concentration of (19.5– 31.1%). There is substantial amount of oil exploitable from swine wastes, GER, and SRF. The outcomes are realistically achieved even in presence of acid esterification of FFA in BPL after the optimization to factor of 12:1 in reference to oil to methanol ratio. 2. D.M Sullivan .A.I bary, T.J Nartea,E.A myrhe,C.G cogger and S.C. Frnsen,2003. Nitrogen availability seven years after a high –rate food waste compost application, compost science utilization, vol11,No, 11 According to, Nitrogen availability seven years after a high–rate food waste compost application, a seven year period experiment was conducted in determination of the quantity of nitrogen available in the onetime on post application. Under pilot scale project six compost food wastes were produced by involving two composting techniques. At the end of the program, the scientist came to conclusion that long term benefits of high rate compost usage was resulting in slow –release of the nitrogen for the prosperity of the crops. 3. Jenkins & Buffon, A, 2009.Future of recycling, CQ researcher. Division of congressional quarterly Incl. Confirmable from, Future of recycling, most of the Americans taken into recycling business as opposed to the yester years. Future of recycling intimates that in earlier years most, people shunned recycling from the believe that it consumed a lot of energy, however, that has been inverted in this era with many people roaming the streets in search of recyclable wastes. For is a self correcting initiative that enhances the back use of the wastes that are rather considered worthless. 4. Hisako Nomuraa, Peter C. Johnb? and Sarah Cotterillc, 2011. The use of feedback to enhance environmental outcomes: a randomised controlled trial of a food waste scheme. Local Environment, Vol. 16, No. 7, August 2011, 637–653 According to, The use of feedback to enhance environmental outcomes: a randomised controlled trial of a food waste scheme , a study endeavored to look into whether collective norm of the people would assist in the promotion of the recycling habits amongst people. It was a path sought in time to resolve the gap deemed in the environmental conservation to inhibit the rampant food waste in most cities. According to the study, most people are willing aid in conservation of the environment without kind of aid whatsoever. 5. Gyuseong Han, Seung Gu Shin, Juntaek Lim, Minho Jo, & Seokhwan Hwang,2010. Anaerobic Digestion of Food Waste-recycling Wastewater, *School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH)San 31, Hyoja-dong, Nam-gu, Pohang, Gyeongbuk 790-784, South Korea*Corresponding author. Tel: +82-54-279-2282, Fax: +82-54-279-8299, E-mail: shwang@postech.ac.kr According to, Anaerobic Digestion of Food Waste-recycling Wastewater, food wastes and organic wastes are the largest content of the wastes output yearly in South Korea. This contributes to existence of certain chemical inclined water and therefore study designed to undertake clear and model approach in tackling of the emergent issues. 6. Albert’s E C,2013 ,Closed loop cuisine, University of Waterloo2013 alternative journal.ca Consistent with Bakker and coils, leap from the use of bottles to designed and organized systems that rarely call for the recycle of products. Large containers rarely wear out and therefore their appropriate use in most hotels. References 1. Albert’s E C,2013 ,Closed loop cuisine, University of Waterloo2013 alternative journal.ca 2. D.M Sullivan, et al, 2003. Nitrogen availability seven years after a high –rate food waste compost application, compost science utilization (2003), vol11,No, 11 3. Gyuseong Han, Seung Gu Shin, Juntaek Lim, Minho Jo, & Seokhwan Hwang,2010. Anaerobic Digestion of Food Waste-recycling Wastewater, *School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH)San 31, Hyoja-dong, Nam-gu, Pohang, Gyeongbuk 790-784, South Korea*Corresponding author. Tel: +82-54-279-2282, Fax: +82-54-279-8299, E-mail: shwang@postech.ac.kr 4. Hisako N, Peter C. J & Sarah C, 2011. The use of feedback to enhance environmental outcomes: a randomised controlled trial of a food waste scheme. Local Environment, Vol. 16, No. 7, August 2011, 637–653 5. Jenkins & Buffon, A, 2009.Future of recycling, CQ researcher. Division of congressional quarterly Incl. 6. Yang S, Li Q, Zeng Q, Zhang J, Yu Z, et al. (2012) Conversion of Solid Organic Wastes into Oil via Boettcherisca peregrine (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) Larvae and Optimization of Parameters for Biodiesel Production. PLoS ONE 7(9): e45940. doi:10.1371/ journal. pone 0045940 Read More