Your Food Waste = Valuable Resource or Harmful Climate Emissions

Food waste accounts for approximately 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions and is a major contributor to climate change. This is a staggering figure. As well as causing greenhouse gas emissions, this costs households money, and is a waste of a valuable resource.

More than ever it’s so important to be aware of how to avoid and recycle food waste. Ireland’s retail culture is filled with multi-buys, like packs of fruit, meat or bread products. This can make it challenging to buy loose or buy food in the quantities we need, but there are increasingly more options if we look for, and request them.

Food Waste Prevention: Food waste in many cases comes from uneaten meals or leftovers. So what can we all do to reduce food waste in the first instance? We can purchase responsibly and remember to eat fresh foods first as they have a short shelf-life. If the portion is too big or there are too many items in a pack then we could freeze foods. Freezing is really convenient, especially when planning school or after-work dinners. After cooking a pot of stew or soup, it’s great to put some into the freezer for a rainy day. There’s nothing like taking out frozen summer berries in wintertime when making an apple tart, scones or a smoothie.

We can do better! There’s lots of recipes for leftovers like rice, bread and potatoes. Making a potato or rice salad, a grilled toastie with cheese, tomato and herbs can be delicious options. Keeping on top of food waste is a challenge, but preventing food waste is like getting a bargain! To learn more visit www. stopfoodwaste.ie Some of the food tips will surprise you!

Use the Brown Bin: Using your Brown Bin is the next best thing. This is absolutely essential. Food waste is an organic product, it is a valuable natural resource and can be part of a bioeconomy. It can be composted to become a rich garden compost, a valuable fuel for growing plants and vegetables. All food waste can go into the brown bin, milk, fish, bones, meat, cheese, pasta, deserts, crisps, basically anything! The only exception is cooking oil (the bacteria can’t work with the oil).

What about Compost? The commercial composting process only takes a few days and it results in a beautiful rich compost. Backyard composting is just as effective, although it works a lot slower and is only used for raw vegetable and fruits. Both processes recycle food waste into compost.

This is where the other part of the picture emerges. As an alternative to peat compost for gardening and horticulture - we can ideally use compost from food waste. Restoring Irelands peatlands involves ceasing the use of peat. Peat in its natural environment as a wetland, stores and sequesters carbon. This is very important in the context of Climate Change. Gardeners and landscapers are swapping over to using peat-free compost which is available at your local garden centre.

Home-composting can be an option if you have the space though it does take a little effort and there are a few essentials- the bin should be located in a shaded spot, the food waste should be varied and needs to be mixed regularly in the compost bin, and it must be moist, so in the summer months it might need a drop of water. Be sure to exclude bindweed and ivy from all home-composting! Landscape waste like branches and grass cuttings can either go into your brown bin for collection, or into a large outdoor compost heap –separate from the food waste. Schools and community groups are actively composting – using wormeries for classroom food waste and leaf-mould cages in areas of high leaf fall. Both processes result in high-grade garden compost.

It’s very encouraging to see these kinds of climate actions popping up all around Fingal. Everyone can limit emissions by buying only what we need, reducing food waste, and switching to peat-free compost. For compost queries visit www.compostingireland.ie where you’ll find information leaflets, booklets and videos.