Most of us have thrown away stale bread or expired food that was left too long in the fridge. Yet, any product that is thrown out (or flushed down the toilet!) by a family, restaurant or store into the garbage constitutes “food waste”. We use land, large amounts of water and energy, as well as human labor, to produce food. As a result of modern large-scale agriculture, forests are cut down, soil is eroded and biodiversity and wildlife are damaged. All these resources are wasted by throwing away food.
About 40% of the waste produced in Georgia is organic. This includes green (for example, leaves, grass), brown (eg., cardboard, coffee spill, tea waste) and food waste.
Imagine, one third of all the food produced for humans in the world is lost or put in the trash! This fact clearly illustrates the extent of the problem and the need to work on solving it.
A few reasons why food waste is a problem
Food waste that goes to the landfill rots and releases greenhouse gases, which are among the leading causes of global climate change. To better understand the extent of the problem, imagine that if the world’s food waste were a country, it would be the third largest source of emissions after the United States and China.
And in parallel to us throwing food into the trash, 800 million people in the world, and about 650,000 people in Georgia, are suffering from food shortage.
The Parki Ar Minda Campaign
The issue of waste management has long been at the center of our attention at Parki Ar Minda. We are always looking for ways to recycle and reduce waste. However, our efforts have so far mainly been in the direction of solid waste (e.g., plastic, paper, glass). But we always felt we were neglecting something important.
That is why we have launched an awareness campaign to reduce food waste and increase access to food. The project is being implemented with the financial support of the European Union and the Czech Development Agency, and in cooperation with our excellent partners: People in Need, Georgian Red Cross and Eliot Steinebiliti.
As always, we will not be talking only about food waste and the importance of reducing it, but also offering a variety of helpful ideas and actions to comfortably incorporate into your daily routine.
Throwing away food is the same as throwing away money! So, let’s pay more attention to food waste. Join our campaign and be a part of positive change! Find out more on fb.com/parkiarminda.ge
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This text was created with the support of the European Union. People in Need is fully responsible for its content and recognizes that it may not express the views of the EU.
