Durban — One man’s waste is another’s access to a hearty meal. With the festive season in full swing, it’s estimated that South Africans will generate tons of waste for landfills over the holidays, most of it food and organic waste.
BiobiN South Africa says while most people are winding down their work activities, there’s increased pressure on the waste management sector, not only for collections but also at landfill sites and the natural environment.
However, non-profit organisation Meals on Wheels (MOW) urged people to donate excess food to organisations which feed the hungry.
Meals on Wheels programmes director Gershon Naidoo said an estimated 15 million South Africans went to bed hungry every day.
“Statistics say food being wasted in South Africa is enough to ensure that no one goes hungry, but that food is thrown away.
“It’s not only prepared food: we buy groceries and we don’t check the sell-by date and if something is close to this date, we just throw it away instead of donating it to somebody who can reuse or repurpose it,” said Naidoo.
Despite big chain stores like Woolworths, Pick n Pay and Checkers coming to the aid of MOW nationally to ensure nothing was wasted and many other initiatives for food harvesting in place, more aggressive action was needed to combat hunger, he said.
Farmers would rather throw away their damaged crops than give it away, he said, while leftover food from hotel buffets was also binned because they were not allowed to give food away.
“Hotel chains say the risk is just too great. If something goes wrong then the risk is on them, even when we say that Meals On Wheels is coming to pick it up and so the risk is on us,” said Naidoo.
Through their network of 182 kitchens, they feed 150 000 to 200 000 people a day, he said.
“If you put that next to the 15 million who don’t have any food, then we are really just making a small dent, but for those we are feeding we are making a difference so that’s our joy at the end of the day.”
The hunger statistics were “absolutely frightening”, he said.
Apart from hunger, malnutrition and stunted growth, child-headed households and the homeless were especially vulnerable, even in cities.
“People are now buying food on credit. They are taking loans to buy food but what happens if those loans become payable? Then they have to change the way they eat and malnutrition sets in.
“It’s a horrible, vicious cycle and it’s something we need to pay attention to. South Africa could be heading down a very dark road,” Naidoo warned.
Brian Küsel, from BiobiN South Africa, a company that specialises in waste management solutions, said that small waste-wise habits would go a long way in keeping the volumes of organic waste going to landfills under control.
“While our consumption patterns are not likely to change during the festive season, it is easier to implement good waste management practices that can divert food and organic waste from landfills,” he said.
Küsel said that along with better waste management at home and better purchasing habits, donating excess food was both socially and environmentally responsible.
“Many of us will be left with excess food that is not used or eaten.
“This should be donated to your local charities and food drives. These organisations do not close during the festive season and always require support.”
BiobiN also encouraged consumers to separate their waste into recyclables, organic waste and landfill waste and to support the businesses that compost.
Sunday Tribune