Food is the least recycled of all recyclable items. Through this article I shall take up the impact of food waste and some steps we can take to minimize the food waste as well as the most difficult process of "Recycling" food waste.

One man's food is not just another man's poison. It may be poison to your entire neighborhood.

Most people are aware of the monetary impact of wasted food and the inequality of one's splurge on food and another's near-to-death starvation. But hardly anyone considers the impact of wasted food ending up in landfills.

Food biodegrades, so where is the problem? But it is a myth that even educated people presume to be right. Food needs light and air to decompose which is lacking in overloaded dark landfills.

2011 SIK study report

A 2011 study by the Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology (SIK) on behalf of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), reveals staggering numbers -

1.Roughly one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year - approximately 1.3 billion tonnes - gets lost or wasted
2.Industrialized and developing countries dissipate roughly the same quantities of food — respectively 670 and 630 million tones (MilT).
3.Every year, consumers in rich countries waste almost as much food (222 MilT) as the entire net food production of sub-Saharan Africa (230 MilT).
4.Fruits and vegetables, plus roots and tubers have the highest wastage rates of any food.
5.The amount of food lost or wasted every year is equivalent to more than half of the world's annual cereals crop (2.3 billion tonnes in 2009/2010).

The US generated 250 MilT of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) during 2010, of which Food Waste (FW) at 35 MilT was only second to paper and paperboards at 71 MilT. Since only less than 3% of food was recycled as against a much higher rate for paper, net landfilled FW at 34 MilT was the largest component of MSW. FW constituted 21% of total waste discarded in landfills.

Impact of Food Waste

Food losses have an impact on food security, food quality and price, economic development and on the environment.

Food waste leads to waste of precious resources including water, land, energy, labour and capital and needlessly produce greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to global warming and climate change.

Environmentalists say that when food rots, it releases methane, a greenhouse gas, which the U.S. EPA says is 21 times more damaging to the environment than carbon dioxide. Methane has a large effect for a brief period (a net lifetime of 8.4 years in the atmosphere), whereas carbon dioxide has a small effect for a long period (over 100 years). Landfills are a major source of human-related methane, accounting for more than 20 percent of all methane emissions. So reducing Food Waste will have an immediate benefit by reducing global warming. Landfills also contaminate groundwater, create a foul smell and contaminate the soil.

Food is the least recycled material and is second largest contributor to global warming.

The U.N. World Food Programme says the total wasted food from U.S. alone could satisfy "every empty stomach" in Africa.

How to Reduce Food Waste

a. Waste reduction at source

Pre Consumer Food Waste can be reduced by:

Conducting a Waste Audit and modifying purchasing quantities, timing, production and handling practices, reviewing menus, secondary uses like converting excess rice to fried rice.

Post-consumer food waste can be reduced by:

Reducing excessive portion sizes and additional serving, if required especially in institutions like colleges and industrial canteens.

Identifying menu items causing more left over on the diner's plate.

Most of the major supermarket retailers in the west work with NGOs to reduce the food thrown away like providing recipes, how to store food better, types and sizes of products sold, the way food is sold (eg."half price" rather than "two for one").

Selling farm produce direct to consumers through farmers' markets and farm shops will also help.

Changing consumer attitudes

The best way to eliminate food waste is to not create it in the first place.

Consumers in rich countries buy more food than they need – Like "Buy three, pay two" promotions, oversized ready-to-eat meals, fixed-price buffets that spur customers to heap their plates.

Consumer level Reduction Actions:

Plan your menu and shop for just those things on your menu.

Buy in quantities that you realistically need and will use. If you buy in bulk, make sure to store them properly and use them in time.

Think "what do we have to eat" instead of "what do I want to eat?" Use up the food you already bought and have in the house instead of buying more.

Re-Use or Recycling Actions for Food Waste:

Use up your leftovers - Internet has many websites giving recipes for using leftover foods such as www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/recipes.

Consider preserving or canning surplus fruits and vegetables.

b. Feed Hungry People:

Even in rich countries, there are always poor people who are not sure where they will find their next meal. Non-perishable and unspoiled perishable food are donated to local food banks by restaurants, caterers, corporate dining rooms, hotels, and other food establishments for prompt distribution to hungry people in their communities.

c. Feed Animals

Farmers often use food discards to feed their livestock. Excess food may also be provided to zoos for feeding animals in consultation with animal feeding experts. Some companies also convert food discards into commercial animal and pet food.

d. Industrial Uses

Rendering Fats, Oils, and Grease

Liquid fats and solid meat products can be converted into animal food, cosmetics, soap, and other products. Fats, oils, and grease (FOGS) are also converted into biodiesel fuel, which is biodegradable and nontoxic. This process recovers energy and recycles waste oils that are either dumped in landfills or flushed down drains, clogging pipes.

Anaerobic digestion

Anaerobic digestion breaks down organic matter to generate biogas, which can be burned for energy. The material that remains after digestion, when composted  produces a valuable soil amendment and zero landfill waste.

e. Composting

Composting creates an incredibly beneficial product from organic waste that would otherwise have been land filled.

Environmental Benefits

Throwing food wastes resources like energy, water and packaging used in food production, transportation and storage. Reducing, recovering, and recycling food waste diverts organic materials from landfills and incinerators, reducing GHG emissions from landfills and waste combustion.

The use of recycled food waste (compost) has many environmental benefits such as: improving soil health and structure increasing drought resistance reducing the need for supplemental water, fertilizers, and pesticides.

An additional benefit of food waste reduction is improved sanitation, public safety and health.

UAE Efforts:

Gulf News report,"Food wastage in UAE by the numbers", in 2014 gave shocking figures of the amount of food wasted in the UAE. At least 38 per cent of food is wasted in Dubai throughout the year, but during Ramadan, this number reaches 55 per cent. The report also said that according to the Abu Dhabi municipality: "39 per cent of the 1.1 million tonnes of municipal waste generated in Abu Dhabi each year is leftover food discarded by residents."

Preservation of Grace is a project run by the Emirates Red Crescent. Preservation of Grace serves to eliminate wasted food by collecting untouched leftovers and giving it to those in need. Preservation of Grace is also known by the name "Saving Grace." From one car in 2005 for collecting food, it now has more than 25 cars.

A team collects food from events, palaces, restaurants and hotels that would otherwise be wasted. Depending on the size of the food donation, they will bring a team in to collect it themselves. They also instruct people on the proper way to package and store their donations.

It is a crucial step in the project to promote hygiene and to package leftover food nicely and with respect – a way to respect the people they are helping. This means putting good food properly into neat boxes for distribution. The project double checks all food before distribution with the help of the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority.

Ramadan projects: Ramadan is a busy time of year for Preservation of Grace as there are many residents throughout the UAE actively looking for ways to donate to charity. They are also collecting from iftars around the country to distribute food for suhoor in the morning.

The UAE has been taking many efforts in spreading awareness on reducing food waste to the hotels and the public. Emirates Environmental Group organized its 7th Session of Community Lecture Series  under the banner: Save Wasted Food for Zero Hunger. The session looked at the importance of saving food and avoiding wastage of food at all stages of the food chain.

UAE's minister of Environment and Water, Rashid Ahmed Bin Fahad issued plans to minimize food wastage by 2021 at a conference titled "No More Food to Waste: Global Action to Stop Food Losses and Food Waste" held in June 2015 at The Hague.