Tiny Acts, Big Impact

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Food waste - a global issue

Written by: Nick Jackson, Analyst, Circular Economy and Lifecycle Thinking

Through my experiences living with family and friends, I’ve learnt a lot about behavioural change and its connection to systemic changes we, as sustainability professionals, aim to address. 

At home, I have helped organise our compost system and subsequently, repurposing the soil into our home garden. Composting is a vital practice individuals can adopt to significantly reduce the amount of food waste ending up in landfill. 

Home composting involves transferring leftover fruits and vegetables (for home gardens) into a controlled aerobic environment – for most homes this looks like a tumbler compost or a stand-alone compost.  

By composting at home, we allow food to naturally decompose and be converted into nutrient-rich soil that can enhance the health of our gardens or local vegetable plots. Conversely, when food waste decomposes in landfills it releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

The applications of a home compost system not only reduce emissions but also fosters a personal sense of circularity in the food system whilst witnessing the power of food waste to regenerate soil. For me, this process makes perfect sense and is fun. Any food waste – transfer it to your compost, then after a period of time, to gardens, plant pots, or veggie plots. Pretty simple.

Well in my experience, communicating the importance and demonstrating the impact has been difficult to close friends and family. In fact, at my own home I've tried various methods to support them.

Have they all worked? No. But changing behaviours isn’t easy.

Ask my family about the numerous rhetorical question signage I leave on their bins or daily reminders in the group chat. Changing and adapting entrenched behaviours is not simple – and gifs, whilst engaging, still require continuous reinforcement.

Globally though we require shifts in behaviour when thinking about circularity and its outcomes in waste management and operations. A circular economy involves increasing the capacity for recycling all forms of materials to ensure they can continually have purpose in multiple lifecycles – this is important in industry but also at your home – a microcosm for how society should operate and manage waste.

Food waste recycling is still abstract, it will require time, and it does require for you to rethink how you separate your food waste at home and how you can influence your own home or neighbourhood. Unfortunately, there’s not always a cash incentive but fighting the small battles against climate change is an easy way for you to contribute and influence your close circle.

In the same way I communicate, reinforce and engage my friends and family with one topic, you can do the same with your friends/peers. 

Here are some stats about food waste in homes that are extremely alarming; especially with food insecurity and increasing populations:

• 8 - 10% of greenhouse emissions are linked to unconsumed food.
• Australia discards approximately 7.6 million tonnes of food a year; 2.5 million tonnes comes from our homes.
• Throwing one burger away is the equivalent of a 90-minute shower.
• 25 million hectares of land is wasted to grow food that is not eaten.

Source: Ozharvest

Addressing climate change is not just about renewable energy – it is also about reducing our waste and increasing the lifecycle of our products and food.

Yet, nature has a funny way of laying out solutions for us.

Composting is one such solution that is in urgent need of capacity uplift across Australia. The more we compost or correctly recycle our food in organic bins, the more impact we can have in reducing global greenhouse emissions, regenerating our soils, and inviting the change we want to see in the world.

We’re fighting a systemic issue with food waste that needs to be battled not only with government legislation and through industry; but at a micro level in the home.

Here are some actions/thoughts I try at home;

• Educating individuals in your immediate home or close social circle when they’re not separating their rubbish appropriately;
• Developing signage on your home bins to direct individuals to the correct bin based on your waste stream;
• Stay accountable! Ensure you know what can or cannot be recycled and direct this information to your immediate home.

Unfortunately, with behavioural change, patience and constant communication is required.

Change is incremental; it is a process, and it requires human accountability, relationships, and trust to bridge the gaps in how we account for waste in our homes. 

Be the voice for your home. 

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