Building Bridges Together
Tipping Point?
Residue of modern civilization
‘Old’ 3Rs
Partial Solution
Diversion the answer? More waste–shrinking landfill
Tossing out so much eatable food
Toronto Residential Waste Audits (Weight)Item:
Multi-Family 2010-2011
%
Single-Family 2010(Scarborough)
%
Paper 24.2 28.3
Plastics 12.1 8.9
Metals 2.7 2.7
Glass 3.3 3.7
Household Special Waste 0.3 0.3
Food Waste 32.9 33.5Other Organics 14.9 8.7
Other Materials 9.5 12.9
Toronto waste composition – 1/3 food
National & Global food waste
CANADA
172 kg per capita (retail & consumer)
$28 per wk/$1,456 p.a. (average family)
1.2 – 2 billion tonnes (Statistics Canada)
$27 billion p.a. (Value Chain Management Centre/ U of Guelph)
INTERNATIONAL95-115 kg/year per capita – consumer food waste (Europe & N. America) 1.3 billion tonnes per yearUnited Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
1.3 b1.3 billion tonnes of food per year illion t1.3 billion tonnes of food per year onnes of
food per year
Why the disconnection?
Programs & education focus on waste diversion
No funds – ‘follow the Blue box money’
‘No one owns food waste’
Silos – agriculture, industry, govt. & residents
Food waste sources
Household Food Waste – Starting point
Shoppers, cooks & eaters
Apparent abundance
Auto pilot behaviour – throw it out!
Denial – 66% ‘no food waste’ Conference Board of Canada
Guilt
Why the gap? What’s missing?
• Mass messages & education
• Recognition from experts
• Stimuli to change – retailers, food media, restos etc.
• Respect for food & farmers/revaluing of food
• Food purchase, storage & prep skills
• Higher frequency, smaller volume shopping
• Community voices/influences ………
New food waste 5Rs
Food waste goes viral… so much talk, no action
Food waste: An unappetizing, $27B problem Jennifer Bain, Toronto Star Feb.8, 2013
Most of Canada's wasted food dumped from homes $27B worth of food Wasted CBC News Posted: Oct 1, 2012 6:11 AM ET
The food-waste debate could use a pinch of common sense …$27 billion dollars worth of food are wasted annually - macleans.ca January 21, 2013
A terrible waste – the environmental costs of throwing our food away.” Losing our Touch, 2011/2012 Environmental Commissioner of Ontario
….National Post, Globe & Mail, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Time magazine, etc. Blogs, Twitter….
Are we at the Tipping point?
“The moment of critical mass, the threshold, the
boiling point…Ideas and products and messages and
behaviors spread like viruses do.“Malcolm Gladwell
Food waste connections - many allies
Farmers & urban growers/agriculture
Local food eaters & advocates
Health groups & public health
Food security & emergency food groups
Food policy councils
Environmental & sustainable community advocates
Solid waste depts/waste reduction groups
New strategies
Joint working groups – dialogue + actions
New skills
Thrift pays – buy less & better
Unavoidable & avoidable waste
Good for the planet
End label confusion
New retail practices
Your ideas………..