Food waste is a significant problem in the US leading more and more eco-conscious households to find alternative ways to dispose of their food waste. There are three ways to eliminate food, and some are more sustainable than others. Let’s take a look at the best ways to dispose of food waste.
Food waste
It is estimated that up to 40% of food will go to waste. That’s astounding. However, many people don’t think of food as contributing to our garbage problem. After all, food decomposes quickly and disappears, right? How you dispose of food waste doesn’t matter, right? Wrong. Food waste leads to pest infestations and increases bacteria and disease.
Throwing food in the garbage
When you throw your food waste into the garbage, it will end up with all other trash in a massive landfill. Our landfills are already overflowing, causing significant pollution and unsanitary conditions for the surrounding neighborhoods. The greenhouse gas emissions that come from landfills are also a serious contributor to detrimental climate changes. Throwing food away in the garbage only contributes to these conditions. Find alternative and sustainable ways to dispose of your food.
Tossing food into the garbage disposal
The garbage disposal can be slightly better than the garbage can, but it depends on the practices at your water treatment plant. Food is pulverized and liquified in the garbage disposal and transported via the pipes, drainage, and septic system to your water treatment plant. Some water treatment plants will use the pulverized food scraps as fertilizer or transform the production of methane to new energy they can reuse at the plant, instead of releasing the methane into the environment. That is a more sustainable way to treat food waste than throwing it into a landfill.
Some plants may separate the food waste from garbage disposals and throw it away, meaning that it will take a wasteful detour from your garbage disposal to the water treatment plant before ending up in a landfill.
Composting
The most sustainable way to treat your food waste is to start composting. By composting, you are minimizing food waste in landfills, and reusing your food waste to make great mulch and fertilizer for your garden. Fertilizing your garden will make plants, trees, flowers, and flora flourish, which is excellent for the environment.
Sunrise Sanitation provides garbage and recycling solutions for your home, business, and job-site.
