Food waste

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Food waste; How is this calculated?
Topic Started: Dec 26 2015, 07:29 AM (638 Views)
heatseeker	Dec 26 2015, 07:29 AM Post #1
Veteran Member Posts: 10,320 Group: Member Member #713 Joined: March 30, 2010	It's a day of vast indulgence, so I thought this topic was especially appropriate. With climate change in the wind, we are being bombarded by stories deploring the amount of food we buy and throw out -- the story in the link below estimates it at $31 billion in Canada, or 50 per cent of our food. But what exactly is "waste"? I've just finished preparing a huge pile of spuds, brussels sprouts and other stuff for Christmas dinner, and the trimmings half fill our little kitchen recycling bin. I'd say in an average week we probably put out 40 or 50 pounds of food waste for four people, plus guests. This is comprised of vegetable trimmings, coffee grounds, bones, the odd carrot, apple, potato or onion that is rotten in the package, etc. This stuff is mixed with wood chips by the city and made into very good compost, which is then available free of charge if you want to pick it up. As you can see, we throw out a lot, but don't in fact waste much, if anything. So where does all the food wastage come in? I've read that in India, more than half of the crops go to waste, because of rats, no refrigeration and very poor infrastructure to get food to market. This is certainly not the case here. Any thoughts? Enjoy your festive dinner. http://globalnews.ca/news/2075857/food-waste-at-record-levels-as-other-canadians-go-hungry/ Edited by heatseeker, Dec 26 2015, 07:30 AM.

Replies:
blizzard	Dec 28 2015, 06:12 AM Post #16
Gold Star Member Posts: 4,152 Group: Member Member #1,012 Joined: July 8, 2013	I asked my D about composting on her area, she said they do not do it. A more recent conversation is that she and SIL do not do it. Her sister in town does. I have no idea if it is expected for anyone living outside the city limits to compost. It is not my place to start composting although I might suggest it once my cast is off. If I take care of it for the next few months and rope my GS into helping I might be able to prove just how easy it is.



angora	Dec 28 2015, 06:41 AM Post #17
WWS Book Club Coordinator Posts: 14,494 Group: Member Member #717 Joined: March 31, 2010	We brought our rolling composter from Stratford here to Ajax where we've located it in our scribble of a back yard. We still put veg scraps in it and turn it but what we'll do with the compost when it's ready, I don't know. My daughter has a trailer up north and my son has a cottage in the Kawarthas but I think they might have their own compost piles.



erka	Dec 28 2015, 07:40 AM Post #18
Gold Star Member Posts: 5,330 Group: Member Member #233 Joined: February 8, 2006	Angora: Compost is gold to gardeners. Some neighbours who don't garden but still compost offer their finished compost to the gardening neighbours. Her bin is emptied and ready to be filled again.



Trotsky	Dec 28 2015, 12:25 PM Post #19
Big City Boy Posts: 38,319 Group: Member Member #79 Joined: September 8, 2005	margrace Dec 28 2015, 04:49 AM I once had a friend whose commented on Mother Theresa, he said she should not be doing what she was doing. It was better to just let those people starve, my friend died rather young of a bad cancer go figure I guess it's true: "Karma can be a Bitch."



Durgan	Dec 28 2015, 12:40 PM Post #20
Veteran Member Posts: 13,273 Group: Gardening Guru Member #720 Joined: March 31, 2010	The diddly bit of compost from one household is such a small quantity as to be almost useless in the big picture.. A household in one year would not even produce one yard. In some cases it attract rodents also. I drag in 15 yards each year and this is just barely sufficient. Feeding human waste food to animals has the potential to be devastating, causing diseases, particularly if exposed to many people. A good hog farmer would not do so. It might be acceptable if high pressure steamed but most small farmers do not have such facilities. Remember the mad cow disease caused by the British feeding ground up sheep brains to beef cattle.The beef industry is still suffering from that fiasco.



swing	Dec 28 2015, 01:04 PM Post #21
swing Posts: 9,979 Group: Member Member #359 Joined: August 18, 2006	We composted all the time in Victoria. My DH would turn over the soil periodically, and everything broke down well. The neighbour would come over with his wheel barrow and take some home for his garden. We used it on our raspberry patch and flower gardens.



campy	Dec 28 2015, 01:17 PM Post #22
Handyman Extraordinaire Posts: 28,720 Group: no politics Member #204 Joined: February 2, 2006	Composting doesn't work very well in a cold climate.



margrace	Dec 29 2015, 03:24 AM Post #23
Gold Star Member Posts: 5,367 Group: Member Member #723 Joined: April 1, 2010	We live North of Huntsville and composting just takes longer but it does work



haili	Jan 8 2016, 12:31 AM Post #24
Gold Star Member Posts: 7,083 Group: Member Member #387 Joined: September 15, 2006	I composted when I had a bigger place and my own composter but don't bother with the green bin for the little bit I have now as it was too hard to push it over snow banks in winter. The stuff will rot eventually in the dump; it just takes longer. My neighbours have had problems with maggots in the green bins.



heatseeker	Jan 8 2016, 01:25 AM Post #25
Veteran Member Posts: 10,320 Group: Member Member #713 Joined: March 30, 2010	My neighbours have had problems with maggots in the green bins. They can be a problem in the hottest days of summer. Bleach and a good hosing out takes care of them.



Darcie	Jan 8 2016, 02:54 AM Post #26
Skeptic Posts: 31,154 Group: Member Member #714 Joined: March 30, 2010	I have an acquaintance who has an old freezer in the garage and dumps his food wastes in there in the summer until garbage day. I am so happy I live in a condo where all the drudge work is taken care of, except I do have to do recycling which is no hassle.



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