after nom – Sitopian Pollution

It All Comes Back To Us

Jialing Zhong after nom November 8, 2020November 10, 2020dematerialisation, plastic, water 0 Comment

plastic cutlery arranged to send an important message to humans — A message from humans who care about the planet, by Volodymyr Hryshchenko, 2020, Unsplash.

It is no secret that our food system churns out tons of plastic waste, most of which is associated with packaging. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) (2019) estimates that approximately 14.5 million tons of plastic containers and packaging were generated in 2017, and this makes up 5.3 percent of the country’s municipal solid waste generated for the year. Meanwhile, this data also excludes disposable tableware such as plastic cutlery, bowls, and plates, so this problem is in fact much greater than what the data suggests. Plastic pollution is pervasive on our planet, and it will only get worse if we do not make changes to our habits of consumption and waste disposal.

Guess They Didn’t Die A Hero Then…

Jialing Zhong after nom November 1, 2020November 4, 2020air, foodwaste, ghg, methane, soil, water 0 Comment

fruits and vegetables — Two-thirds in this photo, another third wasted, by Diego Passadori, 2019, Unsplash.

Here’s a recap from our previous post: the environmental impacts of food waste can be classified into two parts – the direct pollution of air, water, and soil, as well as the exacerbation of negative environmental impacts of food production and consumption. This blog entry will zoom in on the environmental pollution which occurs as a direct consequence of food wastage.

When Food Pollutes Our Earth

Jialing Zhong after nom, agriculture November 1, 2020November 1, 2020air, fertiliser, foodwaste, ghg, soil, water 0 Comment

monkey eating watermelon on street — A monkey gobbling up pieces of smashed watermelon on a street in Ubud, Indonesia, by Radoslaw Prekurat, 2017, Unsplash.

Remember how I mentioned that food can be both a victim and perpetrator of environmental pollution in my very first post? Today, we will explore the links between food waste and environmental pollution, to give you a better idea of why we should avoid wasting food if we want to save our planet.