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The U.S. throws away around 30 million tons of food every year
Food waste is one of the biggest environmental problems that we can actually help fight on a daily basis. We throw away around 30 million tons of food away every year (which is pretty despicable considering how many people don’t have enough to eat). When food is thrown into a landfill and begins to decompose, it becomes a major producer of methane– a greenhouse gas that is 21 times more harmful to global warming than carbon dioxide. In fact, landfills produce over 20 percent of all methane emissions in the U.S.
A far bigger problem is phosphorus and nitrogen pollution, not methane, not CO.
The short sighted focus on renewable energy puts the larger problems on the back burner. What good is all the energy when it is the use of the energy that causes the biggest problems in the first place? In a society where everything is disposable, even recycling isn't anything but a short term answer. A recycled product uses far more resources than one made to last.
We created economies dependent upon people buying and buying and so companies produce less durable goods. A new phone every year, sometimes twice a year. Just for starters.
I hear you on the fruit flies.. I could see composting where possible, but not storing in a container to be picked up later.
I won't feel bad about replacing my iPhone 4 now, Mack Knife....
Phones are only the tip, vehicles are for the most part now disposable. It is extremely cost prohibitive to fix them out of warranty and after 7 years the manufacturer doesn't have to make replacement parts for them.
As are appliances. (Refrigerator, Washer, Dryer, etc...) It used to be an appliance was a purchase for life. Not its a purchase for hopefully 5-10 years.
Yup, the first time a car over 5-7 years old has even a minor electrical problem it starts to become easier to just get a new one, the expense adds up quick.
Obsolescence is built in to so many things. I get it, advancements in technology relegate what was great a few months ago to near worthless today but all that is driving a huge amount of industry and with that a lot of pollution.
On the phones thing, just imagine the amount of money that would flow into the economy if those things lasted more than a year and the monthly service charges went away too. All that money isn't going to provide all that many jobs.
You get fruit flies infesting your house. Which is why we throw ours out with the rest of the trash.
We have a little container with a lid that sits next to the sink, haven't had much trouble with the fruit flies. It's like a cookie jar but has a real good seal. Usually gets taken to the compost every other day....
I live in a condo building and it's working very well. We have paper compostable bags. We put the food waste into a plastic bag and when needed I take both bags down to our garbage room, empty the contents of the plastic bag into the paper one, and throw it in the green bin.
Several grocery stores have been doing this for years. All the waste is sent to a composting facility that turns it into a soil product for gardens etc.
It just becomes you new normal. When recycling first began years ago, I was impressed my elderly grandmother adapted quickly to it saying it just made sense. So if she can, I can, since yes, this makes sense.
Fruit flies, as mentioned. Much worse crawling and flying things when it gets warmer....
So it goes in "green bins". Then what?
Is leftover meat supposed to go in the "green bin"? Pasta? Cat food? Pre-digested cat food? What about dog droppings (aka pre-digested dog food)?
What's to stop people from double and triple wrapping food waste in multiple layers of plastic and hiding it in the regular garbage?
Ugh.
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