2023 – Page 7 – Own Your Impact

Recycling

Stop the frozen food snobbery

It may be a matter of snobbery. According to the British Frozen Food Federation's director general, frozen foods compare favorably with fresh food in blind taste tests. In the UK and US, there is a love-hate relationship between frozen foods retailers like Iceland. Iceland's new marketing campaign " Power of Frozen", aims to change this perception. Frozen isn't always unhealthy. Salvomassara/Shutterstock This is due in part to the price. Due to the lower production costs, frozen foods are cheaper at the point of sale. This can influence consumers' perception of quality. In the US, 4 out of 5 consumers believe frozen foods are "highly processed"....

Recycling

Nairobi has announced car-free days The benefits could be many

Nairobi is the second most congested place in the world. Nairobi County is proposing car free Saturdays and Wednesdays in the two busiest areas of the city to reduce traffic. plans to add more buses, a lightweight railway, and a rapid transit system. The car-free initiative has not been given a specific date, but major roads leading into the city are being upgraded in order to accommodate the new systems. Nairobi's county government estimates that the road improvements will take six months. These changes must be made quickly and efficiently. Due to the absence of infrastructure for public transport in the city those who cannot afford...

Waste Reduction

Can Australia feed Asia really

At the recent Global Food Forum, several prominent businessmen called for Australia to significantly increase its contribution towards global food security. They highlighted business opportunities in Australian agriculture for Asia's growing middle class. How realistic is it to double or quadruple Australia’s food production despite the renewed interest? What principles should we follow as we embark upon this journey? Current Situation Australia has a small population but a huge land area. You can easily be misled into thinking that Australia has vast unused land and water resources, just waiting to become agricultural. Truthfully, this is not true. Most of the land...

Recycling

World’s protected natural areas too small and isolated to benefit wildlife

These "protected areas" can range from enormous, strictly protected areas like US national parks through the heavily used landscapes of UK national parks to tiny urban nature reserves. Protected areas can stop or slow many of the forces threatening biodiversity, such as habitat loss, hunting, and pollution, and have been a mainstay of global conservation for decades. By August 2020, some 15% of the world's land had been protected. This was below the target, but there were enough specific commitments in place to drag the world over the line slightly late. In many ways, this is an incredible achievement and perhaps the...

Recycling

We must create objects that people love to avoid the waste crisis

We live in a world that is drowning in objects. There are televisions in every room, kitchen cabinets stuffed full of blenders, cappuccino whips, and drawers packed with small devices powered by battery - which take 1,000 times more energy to produce than they can ever deliver. In the early 1900s, disposable products like paper napkins and razors were considered low-cost. It is acceptable to discard anything, from a barely used smartphone, vacuum cleaner, or television to a three-piece set or fitted bathroom. Electronic scrap has become a serious problem. The European Union is experiencing a three-fold increase in scrapped circuit boards,...

Recycling

Plastic-free campaigns are already popular among shoppers

The long-overdue move to reduce Australia's plastic pollution is underway with the introduction of single-use bags by Woolworths and Coles at their checkout counters. Queensland and Western Australia will also ban single-use bags from all retailers on July 1. It is still a very small step, and many things need to be done. In order to change people's behavior, it is important to find out what strategies are most effective for educating the public and changing their consumption habits. Read more: In banning plastic bags, we need to make sure we're not creating new problems. Research shows that fear or shock tactics, or...

Recycling

Pictures in the bin, Fridgecam, and the digital War on Waste

We are becoming more aware of the problem of food waste, but we still throw away large amounts of produce when it is not necessary. It's time to stop lecturing us about our bad habits and start looking at ways to change them. Digital technologies can be a great tool to help. In the UK and EU, food waste has decreased by 21 % in the past five years. The problem remains. Instead of trying to convince people that food waste is a bad thing (we know this already), we should find new ways to shop for, cook, consume, and...

Recycling

The waste system must be adapted to the new reality of a growing pile

Coronavirus revealed how fragile the waste cycle really is. The collection of waste is being cut globally due to social distancing and staff absences, as well as concerns over worker's health and safety. This affects the collection, sorting, and processing of wastes, as well as markets for recycled materials and composts. In the UK, 46 percent of recycling facilities reduced or stopped their treatment. Most household waste recycling centers have closed. The impact of this is felt around the globe. In the US, 31% of facilities were negatively affected. If these recyclable materials are not stored properly at home, then they could end up going to landfills...

Waste Reduction

Want to reduce food waste in your home

Food waste is a major contributor to climate change. Food waste is responsible for more than 5 percent of Australia's emissions. This does not include the emissions generated by activities such as farming or transport that are required to produce the food. The home is one of the biggest sites for food waste. Each year, Australian households waste about 2.5 million tonnes. This is equivalent to A$2,000-$2,500 per household per year. There's good news. Today, our Australian first research identified six of the most effective ways to reduce food wastage. These relatively small changes combined can make a huge difference. Australian households waste...

Recycling

UK housing is among the worst in Europe for energy efficiency

Nearly 2.5 million households in the UK are living in substandard housing, and they suffer from fuel poverty. Low income means that they cannot maintain a comfortable temperature in their home. The majority of housing in the UK was built before the 1990s when energy efficiency standards were not regulated. The NHS treats people with poor housing every year, spending PS1.4 billion. This has a major impact on their health. According to the Climate Change Committee, which advises on climate change issues, around a quarter (25%) of UK greenhouse gas emissions are due to energy used for heating, lighting, or running appliances at...