BOLZANO. In Alto Adige, according to a survey conducted in 2019 by the Consumer Protection Center in collaboration with Eurac Research, the quantity of food waste produced is approximately 1 kg per family per week: bread, apples, cheese, salad and milk are the most frequently discarded foods.
Sunday 29 September is celebrated 5th World Day of Awareness of Food Waste and Lossestablished by the United Nations.
Our food is doubly precious: it is our sustenance and it is the result of precious resources. Furthermore, the disposal of food waste causes greenhouse gas emissions that aggravate the climate crisis. Students from South Tyrolean high schools met today (27 September) at the Filmclub in Bolzano on the topic of food waste as part of the initiative #ISPRECOless organized by the provincial Agency for the environment and climate protection, in collaboration with the Social Policies Division and the Consumer User Protection Centre, on the occasion of the International Day against Food Waste.
The initiative is part of the 2024 awareness-raising activities of the Interreg Europe project “CORE” (Composting in Rural Environments).
“Careful use of resources is necessary in every area of life, if we want to provide future generations with a livable environment. This also applies to food, which is too precious to be wasted”, underlines the provincial environmental councillor Peter Brunner. The provincial social councilor is also convinced of this Rosmarie Pamer: “Avoiding food waste is a visible sign of social sustainability. We are all called to be attentive and aware of the products”, said the provincial councilor at the round table in Bolzano. In Alto Adige, a provincial law has been in force since 2018 which promotes initiatives against food waste. As part of this, a coordination table was established at the Social Policies Division, where various partners work on the topic.
Why reduce food waste?
Consumption of resources, emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, increased volume of waste, additional costs for waste disposal and world hunger are just some of the ecological, economic and ethical consequences due to food waste. According to the UN, 19% of global food production is wasted in families, in catering and retail. The students who participated in today’s initiative got an idea of it by watching the 2014 documentary “Just Eat it – A Food Waste Story”.
“Estimating the amount of food waste is among the objectives of the Waste Management Plan” he explains Giulio Angeluccidirector of the Waste Management Office, “however this data is not always directly measurable. Starting from the month of October thecommodity analysis of municipal solid wasteuseful for the evaluation of food waste and other fractions of recyclable materials in domestic waste”.
Let’s reduce food waste within the walls of the home
At the Infopoint of the Cineclub of Bolzano, students were able to discuss how food waste actually works. As part of a round table, tips and suggestions were given on how to shop according to need and with a shopping list, cook according to a pre-established plan or store food correctly.
2024-09-28 07:30:36