Beat Waste Pollution

“We must use existing biological resources more efficiently, and waste less, instead of relying on finite fossil-based resources.” - QU Dongyu, Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Every minute, the equivalent of one garbage truck of plastic is dumped into the ocean. The fact is many of us are clueless regarding what to do with old gadgets, electronic devices and waste in general. Unfortunately, the issue is further compounded by a waste management system which is unreliable concerning the service they provide for the citizenry as well as a culture void of recycling opportunities. The international community observes for the first time the International Day of Zero Waste. It is important to give some background to this day. On 14 December 2022, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution at its seventy-seventh session to proclaim 30 March as International Day of Zero Waste, to be observed annually. The United Nations (UN) states that during International Day of Zero Waste, Member States, organizations of the United Nations system, civil society, the private sector, academia, youth and other stakeholders are invited to engage in activities aimed at raising awareness of national, subnational, regional and local zero-waste initiatives and their contribution to achieving sustainable development. The UN comments that the promotion of zero-waste initiatives through this international day undoubtedly will assist to advance all the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and targets in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including Sustainable Development Goals 11 and 12. These goals address all forms of waste, including food loss and waste, natural resource extraction and electronic waste. The Current Challenge of Waste in Agrifood Systems The FAO estimates that more than 13 per cent of global food production is lost between the production and wholesale stages of the supply chain. Furthermore, global data indicates that an additional 17 per cent is wasted at the retail, food service, and consumer stages. Food quality is also compromised throughout the entire supply chain. These losses occur while over 800 million people are undernourished and almost 3.1 billion cannot afford a healthy diet. Additionally, food loss and waste contribute to 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The FAO warned the 193 members of the UN General Assembly that wasting food and non-food agricultural products, as well as inputs like plastics, puts unnecessary pressure on the environment. “It essentially means that we have wasted land and water resources, we have created pollution and we have emitted greenhouse gases with no purpose!” he underlined. Qu urged world leaders to identify the hotspots where losses and waste occur and to urgently address the inefficiencies and inequalities in global agrifood systems to make them more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable. Qu argues that reducing losses and waste will not only contribute to our environment, but increase the availability of fruits and vegetables, and improve access to healthy diets. Globally, an estimated 40% of waste is openly burned, releasing harmful pollutants like black carbon into the atmosphere. Achieving zero waste requires action at all levels. Sadly, many of our health-related problems in today's society are directed linked to pollution of one kind or another. Those of us who have respiratory problems such as asthma can attest to this. The challenges such individuals face was recently highlighted on local television; the residents who are living close to a private landfill in rural Jamaica had to remain indoors for an extended period due to the constant fire at the dump. Beat Waste Pollution Pollution of our water, soil and air has now risen to be the number one killer on earth. A 2017 report in The Lancet shows that nine million people roughly the population of New York City dies prematurely from causes related to pollution every year. More than 80 per cent of the world's wastewater gets released straight into the environment without any treatment. The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) reports that over half of all premature deaths from pneumonia among children under the age of five are caused by indoor air pollution. These statistics are staggering, and they don’t stop there. Pollution is a universal and mounting problem no country is immune. In Canada, pollution cost families, businesses and governments at least $39 billion in 2015. We all need to learn more about how to beat pollution. One easy way to do so is by choosing planet-friendly products. In recent times more and more products such as soaps and detergents have on phosphorus-free labels. It may seem insignificant, however it is not. Research has shown that when too much phosphorus enters the environment, there is an adverse effect on the environment. As we pause to acknowledge the International Day of Zero Waste we are reminded by the UN to refuse, reduce, reuse, redesign and recycle wherever the opportunity presents itself . Additionally, let us all look inward and interrogate how our personal consumption habits along with the work of stakeholders, such as governments and industries can collaborate in achieving more sustainable actions. As inhabitants of this planet let us all recommit to a world of zero waste. “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.”- Native American Proverb. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #BeatWastePollution #ZeroWasteDay