EnviroStats!

Most of the waste is sent to landfill where it rots, emitting the potent climate-change gas methane that has 21-23 times the global warming potential of CO2. 

The Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), a government-funded agency that has been investigating food waste, complained consumers were, in effect, dumping one in three bags of shopping straight in the bin. Preventing that waste would have the same environmental impact as taking one in five cars off the roads, said Wrap’s chief executive, Liz Goodwin.

Wrap’s estimate of waste was compiled after polling almost 3,000 households and getting 300 people to keep diaries of what food they threw away. Although 90 per cent of people thought they threw away little, the true picture was revealed by the diaries.

Most waste arose because people had “over-shopped” as a result of not planning; because they failed to keep their fridge cold enough, allowing food to go off; or because food had passed its “best by” date. About 30 per cent of households were particularly wasteful, mostly busy younger working people aged 16-34 and families with school-age children.

Wrap said people were buying too much, particularly because they were temped by “buy one get one free” deals in supermarkets. Shoppers also failed to eat food in date order, store it at the right temperature or throw it out as it approached its best-before date. Young professionals with fluid work and social patterns seldom planned meals. Wrap said half of people under 24 had very poor cooking skills, possibly as a result of the emphasis in schools on the science of food.

Compare to Stat 0001, the very first environmental impact statistic posted on this blog, about how each American school aged child produces approximately 31 kg of lunch waste each per year.

This seems to be a standard deviation statistic showing a range that covers most British households, rather than an average number for a “typical” British household. I don’t know because there is no original source cited. However, it’s an interesting statistic that deals with the wasted food issue I don’t get very many statistics for, but one which has a definite environmental impact because wasted food, if not composted, produces methane gas (CH4) that has 21-23 times the global warming potential (GWP) of CO2. See Stat 0420 for an explanation of GWP and Stat 0117 for some other GHGs’ GWP.

Wasting food is just bad anyway, if it’s still edible, whether you are looking at the big picture, like World Ecological Debt Day, or the personalized small picture like what your Mother told you regarding not to waste food. [Envirostats author]

Recipes for leftovers at:

Luxury from leftovers

Banana and walnut bread

Ingredients:

4 medium bananas

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

250g plain flour

180g dark brown sugar

125g walnuts

2 eggs

125g butter

1 tsp ground cinnamon

3 tbsp warm milk

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) mark 4. Butter a 1kg or 2lb loaf tin or use 12 large muffin cases.

Cream the butter and sugar until smooth, then whisk in the mashed bananas. Add the eggs, vanilla, cinnamon and a pinch of salt and whisk well. Sieve the flour and baking powder and beat until smooth. Mix the bicarbonate of soda into the milk and stir into the batter. Toss the walnuts in a little flour before adding to the mixture. This will prevent them from sinking.

Scrape the mixture into the tin and bake for about 50 minutes, until the bread is crusty and a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean. Cool in the tin, then turn out on to a cooling rack. Cook the smaller muffins for 20-25 minutes.

- Cost per household in headline statistic via The Guardian, Oct 28 2008

- Totals in headline statistic and other information in body text added later, via The Independent, Nov 1 2008