How food waste is major contributor to Green House Gas Emissions
Apr 16, 2024
Farmers need to practice recommended agronomic practices to increase the quality of their produce and reduce the quantities rejected by consumers and processors.
A man operating a plastics waste recycling machine. The public needs to learn different ways of waste management. (File Photo)
Davis Buyondo
Journalist @New Vision
__________________ An overfl owing garbage dump site at Kibati in Hoima city. Poor garbage management affects the soil and ground water
Dr Antonio Querido, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) country representative in Uganda, says food waste contributes to greenhouse gas emissions emitted during the production, transportation, packaging, storage, and preparation of food.
He says when food is wasted, it means there is no benefit from the emissions and this increases the environmental footprint.
Querido told Weekend Vision that when wasted food rots, it produces a greenhouse gas called methane, which has a higher global warming potential than carbon dioxide.
Global food loss and waste generate about 8% of total greenhouse gas emissions annually. However, several strategies to mitigate its environmental footprint include responsible production, such as producing for the market and volumes that farmers can easily handle without getting spoilt, which is key to reducing food waste at production sites.
Farmers need to practice recommended agronomic practices to increase the quality of their produce and reduce the quantities rejected by consumers and processors.
These practices include processing and value addition, which helps to prolong the shelf-life of food and reduce food waste; responsible consumption, where people should buy what is enough for consumption and food recycling, which entails using food leftovers for other beneficial purposes that promote a circular economy rather than leaving them to decompose.
Another strategy is innovative technologies, which calls for investing in innovative technologies for food preservation, processing, and packaging to extend shelf life, reduce spoilage, and enhance food safety, thereby reducing waste along the supply chain.
In addition, the promotion of awareness campaigns and educational initiatives will encourage consumers to make informed choices, shop responsibly, embrace sustainable eating habits, and streamline supply chains to reduce inefficiencies and losses during production, distribution, and storage.
Implement technologies, such as cold chain management, to preserve perishable foods.
Challenges
According to FAO, the existing challenges in waste management include poor agronomic practices, which reduce the quality of produce and, hence, food waste. For example, lack of disease control measures. Poor crop varieties that are not fit for intended purposes also increase food waste.
For example, oranges with seeds are not good for juice making; where they are used, the extraction process is not as efficient as for seedless varieties.
Poor infrastructure: The delays in the transportation of produce to markets increase food waste. Technological limitations, such as refrigerated trucks and cold rooms in markets for safe storage of perishables and limited value-added technology to increase the shelf life of products.
Social and societal/cultural challenges. Some people want food to be presented in specific ways that have a limited shelf life.
Also, the high cost of energy to invest in food processing is still a challenge. In recent years, waste management has received growing attention from the worldwide community, with a particular emphasis on zero waste.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), every year, humanity generates between 2.1 billion and 2.3 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste. Some 2.7 billion people lack access to waste collection, two billion of whom live in rural areas.
It further highlights how waste pollution significantly threatens human well-being, economic prosperity, and the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution.
Without urgent action, annual municipal solid waste generation will hit 3.8 billion tonnes by 2050. Well, as the world observes International Day of Zero Waste 2024, all UN member states, UN organisations, and key stakeholders are encouraged to implement zero-waste initiatives at local, regional, sub-national, and national levels.
Uganda continues to state the importance of collective action in tackling the environmental challenges widely posed by waste generation and disposal.
Weekend Vision further explores different practices and initiatives aimed at achieving zero waste and those actionable steps for individuals, schools, and communities to contribute to this critical effort.
Uganda seeks a healthier environment
NEMA
As of April 2023, the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) had approved and licensed 156 waste handlers across the country to relieve Uganda of the increasing waste.
NEMA’s primary objectives in waste management hinge on promoting sustainable practices in a bid to minimise waste generation, enhance waste collection and disposal infrastructure, and promote a culture of environmental responsibility.
“As an institution, we support the Government in the realisation of the objectives stipulated in the National Development Plan III, Vision 2040, and international obligations such as the Sustainable Development Goals,” Barirega Akankwasah, the NEMA executive director, said in a statement.
However, the current state of waste management infrastructure in Uganda is largely presented with significant challenges, particularly in urban areas where population growth and urbanisation have strained existing waste management systems.
Environmentalists
In the Kyotera district, Sadick Katende and Ivan Mwesigwa, both prominent environmentalists, are managing a garbage sorting site in the Kasaali sub-county.
Katende says waste collection services are often inadequate, resulting in widespread littering and illegal dumping.
“Formal waste disposal facilities, such as landfills and recycling centres, are limited in number and capacity, leading to environmental pollution and public health risks,” he explains.
While recycling initiatives exist, Katende says they are generally small-scale and lack comprehensive support from the village, parish, sub-counties, town councils, and districts.
Cultural perspectives
In Uganda, cultural norms and practices play a vital role in shaping attitudes towards waste management and reduction in various ways.
Traditional practices rooted in resource conservation and community cooperation offer valuable insights into sustainable living.
Practices such as reuse, repurposing, and organic waste management have long been integral to Ugandan culture, for example in the Buganda kingdom, reflecting a deep respect for nature and a commitment to custodianship.
Well, integrating traditional knowledge into modern waste management practices holds immense potential for Uganda to achieve its zero-waste objectives.
Challenges
According to FAO, the existing challenges in waste management include poor agronomic practices, which reduce the quality of produce and, hence, food waste. For example, lack of disease control measures.
Poor crop varieties that are not fit for intended purposes also increase food waste. For example, oranges with seeds are not good for juice making; where they are used, the extraction process is not as efficient as for seedless varieties.
Poor infrastructure: The delays in the transportation of produce to markets increase food waste. Technological limitations, such as refrigerated trucks and cold rooms in markets for safe storage of perishables and limited value-added technology to increase the shelf life of products.
Social and societal/cultural challenges. Some people want food to be presented in specific ways that have a limited shelf life.
Also, the high cost of energy to invest in food processing is still a challenge.
Opportunities
New crop varieties have been developed and are tolerant to multiple stresses and give high-quality products. There have been increased investments in agro-processing and new technology, especially household-level equipment for value addition and processing.
Advocate for policy interventions at local, national, and international levels to incentivise food waste reduction and promote sustainable consumption and production practices. Promote the transition to a circular economy approach where resources are reused, recycled, or repurposed at every stage of the food system. This includes initiatives to recover and valorise food waste through composting, anaerobic digestion, and bioenergy production.
Zero waste campaign
Schools are increasingly recognising the importance of waste management as part of their commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship.
Many educational institutions are implementing various initiatives to minimise waste generation and move towards a zero-waste goal.
One common strategy is the introduction of recycling programmes, where students and staff are educated about the importance of sorting waste materials such as paper, plastics, and cans for recycling.
At Napak Seed School, there are various activities carried out to get to zero waste in the surrounding community.
These include conducting public awareness programmes in the community to encourage residents to participate in zero-waste activities.
Secondly, they encourage residents to segregate waste at home and provide recycling facilities to effectively manage waste, in addition to encouraging the community to donate and reuse materials by arranging swap shops, thrift stores, and other such initiatives.
Still, the school encourages residents to avoid single-use plastic bags, straws, and bottles and to compost organic waste at home or provide collection services for local gardens or farms.
The school looks further at supporting local businesses that follow sustainable practices such as using eco-friendly products and minimising waste generation.
The clean-up events they conduct further reduce the amount of litter and waste on the streets and in the environment while advocating for local government policies that support zero-waste initiatives, such as incentivising waste reduction and penalising waste offenders.
They encourage the use of public transportation, cycling, and walking to reduce the use of automobiles, which contribute to air pollution and waste.
Waste management
To address waste management, the College of Engineering, Design, Art, and Technology at Makerere University designed a comprehensive course that looks deeper into both technological and non-technological aspects of solid waste management, addressing key challenges and solutions in this critical field.
The course equips students with the knowledge and skills necessary to tackle the complexities of waste management in urban environments.
The technological aspects of the course encompass various stages of solid waste management, including collection, transfer, recycling, composting, anaerobic digestion, energy recovery, incineration, hazardous waste management, and landfill disposal.
Through these technological solutions, students gain deeper knowledge of innovative methods for waste treatment and disposal, enabling them to develop integrated and sustainable waste management systems.
In addition to technological solutions, the course also stresses non-technological aspects of solid waste management, such as policy development, legislation, institutional arrangements, financing mechanisms, stakeholder involvement, and privatisation of waste management services.
Recognising the nature of waste management challenges, Makerere University provides students with a holistic understanding of the social, economic, and environmental factors that shape waste management practices.
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