According to startling new insight from Boston Consulting Group, global food waste rates will increase by a third before 2030. Here Philip Simpson, commercial director at ReFood, discusses why government support is essential to prevent the food waste crisis from escalating further out of control.
“Every year, more than 30% of all food produced worldwide is thrown away – a figure set to rise over the next decade and become the equivalent of disposing 66 tonnes every second. The UK is a notable contributor, producing 1.9m tonnes of food waste per annum and sending 40% straight to landfill.
“Unfortunately, it’s not likely to change any time soon. Our national waste management infrastructure is outdated and disjointed. The power to change this, however, is devolved to the strict budgets of district councils, meaning municipal food waste collection schemes are few and far between.
“In result, an estimated £13 billion of food is sent to landfill – a huge shame when you consider the sheer volume of resources used to produce it. If we were to recycle food waste instead, we could offset 27m tonnes of greenhouse emissions, save the average household £470 a year and potentially produce more than 1.1TWh of energy.
“If we don’t, 66 tonnes every second will become a reality. And, unfortunately, we can’t turn this around without government support. While, the financial and environmental imperatives stack up, we need food waste collections to be mandated right across the UK.
“So, what needs to be done? Firstly, we the must ban food waste to landfill and mandate household food waste collections. Secondly, we need to take the time to educate homeowners about the importance of food waste recycling and that anaerobic digestion is an ideal solution to recover energy from our waste.”
“Change is possible, but we need government support to make it a reality”.
For more information about ReFood and its food waste recycling services, visit www.refood.co.uk