Title : UTILIZATION OF FOOD WASTE MATERIAL TO

REDUCE ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

Submitted by: (Group Members)
SR.No Name AG.No
1 Miss Areeba Anwar 2016-ag-6617
2 Maham Sahar 2016-ag-6653
3 M.Waqar Younis 2016-ag-6652
4 Hafiz Muhammad Usama Shaheen 2016-ag-6654
5 Muhammad Sohail 2016-ag-6655
6 Hamza Rafiq (Leader) 2016-ag-6656
7 Miss Alina Gul 2016-ag-6657
8 Miss Ghulam Fatima 2016-ag-6663
9 Mina Waseem 2016-ag-6667
10 Mazar Manzoor 2016-ag-8030
11 Miss Ayesha Hamid 2016-ag-6669

Semester: 4th (Sec K)

Submitted to: Dr. Saeed sb
I
n the most recent years, food waste has become a complex phenomenon attracting
the attention of scientists, consumers and activists alike. It’s been termed as a global
paradox regarding the manner in which emphasis is put on agriculture to improve
food security and then a third of all the food produced ends up as waste. This is according
to FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) report in 2013
indicating that the food waste globally sums to one-third of the total food produced for
human consumption, about 1.6 billion tons a year.

The reason it’s becoming a huge concern are the economic, social and
environmental costs associated with it. BFCN (Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition)
defines food waste as the waste or food losses that occur during industrial processing,
distribution and consumption. Understanding and ending food waste has therefore been a
priority among nonprofit organizations and governments which leads us to discussions of
the causes, effects and solutions of food waste.

CAUSES OF FOOD WASTE

 Lack of appropriate planning

One of the top contributors to food wastage is because of lack of appropriate
planning on the consumer part. Sometimes people buy lots of food without appropriately
making plans on when and how the food will be prepared for consumption. Coupled with
the contemporary schedules of work and appointments, people therefore tend to change
food preparation plans or fail to remember using it on time.

At times it’s out of most people’s control which leads to expiry of the foods after
which they are thrown as waste. Also due to lack of appropriate planning, people find
themselves having badly prepared food that just doesn’t taste great. It all ends up as
waste.Purchase and preparation of too much food

Most of the time, food is also wasted because of purchasing or preparing too
much. If one purchases or prepares too much food than is needed, then it’s obvious the
excess food on the plate will go to waste. In such scenarios, leftovers and partially used
food account for the food that goes to waste.
 Alternatively, the partially used food is at times put at the back of the fridge and is
never reused. The same applies to excess purchases that end up passing their expiration
dates and therefore looks, tastes, and smells bad. At the end of it all, all the excess ends
up as waste food.

 Errors in industrial processing and keeping up with food safety policies

Another biggest driving factor for food wastage is the protocol on food safety. The
food safety protocols give no room for error in industrial processing or any other
compromise that diminish quality of the final food products. As such, the confusions and
errors during industrial processing of food mean that all food items that don’t meet the set
standards are wasted.

Food processing companies have to comply with high food safety regulations and
must thus establish no error margins. In complying with the food safety policies, the
companies in the sector end up creating waste as any small error means the food will be
rejected even if it’s simply due to imperfection in appearance or shape.

Overcooking, production trials, packaging defects, trial runs, and wrong sizes and
weights are some of the aspects resulting in imperfection and the eventual rejection of the
foods.

 Managerial, financial and technical constrains

This is mainly a challenge contributing to food wastage in the developing
countries. The wastage takes place because of the constraints to do with lack proper
management, inadequate finances, and technical difficulties in the lines of harvesting
methods, storage and cooling problems in adverse weather conditions, processing,
packaging, infrastructure, and marketing systems.

 Over-preparation of food in restaurants, hotels and the food service

industry
Most restaurants, hotels and the food service industry alike have a tendency of
over-preparing/producing food. While the intention is good especially in anticipation of
high customer volume and the ability of not running out of menu, over-preparation often
leads to wastage if all the food is unsold. DC Central Kitchen – committed to the course
of reducing food wastage, points out that overproduction in the food service industry is
the leading cause of food wastage.
 Since the food service operations lacks the ability to quantify the amount of food
consumed on average, the kitchens keep producing amounts thought to be enough but
most of it is actually not needed. Besides, some managers believe producing food in large
batches minimizes on costs, but in actual fact it results in more waste as compared to
cook-to-order preparation or cooking in small batches.

 Over-merchandizing and over-ordering in food stores and supermarkets

The over-merchandizing of food items and products in retail centers, wholesale
markets, and supermarkets often result in food wastage. Foodservice operations are
habitually more focused on over-merchandizing in food stores and supermarkets by using
beautiful and attractive displays thereby creating the idea of abundance in an attempt to
promote sales and customer satisfaction.

The overlooked aspect of over-merchandizing is its association with increased

food waste. When people buy more than needed, the excess will often end up in the trash
bin. Over-ordering also leads to expiry of food staff with limited shelf life as some of it
will remain unsold.

 Consumer behavior
Different customers have different preferences and this highly influences
consumer purchasing behavior on food items. Particularly, the consumer behavior on
focus here is the tendency of having a keen insight for good judgment which results in
those who only prefer unblemished vegetables and fruits, and the restrictive must display
for shelf life dates.

Such consumer behavior more often than not contributes to the wastage of food as
most of the food items may remain on the shelves till expiry. Also, such consumer
behavior tendencies may force foodservice operators in restaurants and hotels to maintain
large menu options and high-end services while assuring consistency that mostly leads to
food wastage.

EFFECTS OF FOOD WASTE

1) Biodiversity loss
Food wastage impacts on biodiversity loss at a global level. In order to maximize
agricultural yields, farmers have increasingly invaded wild areas in search for more
fertile lands which has led to loss of biodiversity. The reason for this is that practices such
as slash and burn, deforestation, and conversion of wild areas into farm lands have
destroyed the natural habitats for birds, fish, mammals and amphibians.

Agricultural practices such as mono-cropping have also compounded biodiversity

loss. The mass rearing of livestock for consumption and the use of pesticides in crop
production has also significantly contributed to nitrogen, phosphorous, and chemical
pollution in streams, rivers and coastal waters thus affecting marine life.

2) Wastage of the 1/3 of the world fertile land areas

According to research, the produced but unconsumed food accounts for
approximately 1.4 billion hectares of land, constituting almost 1/3 of the planet’s
agricultural land. By looking at this from a well thought analytical angle, the world is
wasting 30 percent of the world’s fertile land which could be used for other meaningful
purposes such as environmental research.

3) Blue water footprint

The volume of water used in agricultural food production is immense. Therefore,
if 30 percent of all the food produced goes to waste, then it means that more than 30
percent of freshwater used in the production and processing of food also goes to waste.
This contributes to blue water footprint which refers to the amount of consumed surface
and groundwater resources that goes to waste.

Precise estimations indicate that food wastage is responsible for the wastage of
nearly 250 cubic kilometers (km3) of water. This wastage is equivalent to thrice the
volume of Lake Geneva. It is also affirmed that throwing out a kilogram of beef amounts
to a waste of 50,000 liters of water used in the meat production process. Similarly, 1000
liters of water is wasted if one glass of milk is poured down the drain.

4) Increased carbon footprint and the acceleration of climate change

The food produced and then later goes to waste is estimated to be equivalent to 3.3 billion
tons of greenhouse gas emission, accelerating the impacts of climate change. Research
also has it that food waste is the third biggest emitter of green house gases.

The reason for this is the consideration for the energy wasted and the primary use
of fossil fuels in food production including processing and cooking together with
transportation to various consumer markets worldwide. What’s more, the methane gas
produced at landfills by food thrown out as waste further aggravates climate change and
global warming.
ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES
In addition to the environmental impacts, food wastage also results in direct
economic costs. According to FAO’s report estimates, the economic losses associated
with food wastage is about $750 billion dollars per annum.

CAUSES OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

 Let us first take a look at the causes of environmental pollution:

 Industries: Industries have been polluting our environment especially since the
beginning of the industrial revolution, as mentioned above, notably due to the
increasing use of fossil fuels. In the 19th century and for a significant part of the
20th century, coal has been use to make machines work faster, replacing human
force. Though pollution by industries mainly causes air pollution, soil and water
contamination can also occur. This is particularly the case for power-generating
industries, such as plants producing electricity (May they be a dam, a nuclear
reactor or some other type of plant).

 Also, the transportation of this energy can be harmful to the environment. We can
take as an example the transportation of petrol through pipelines; if there is a leak
in the pipeline, soil will automatically be polluted. At the same time, if the tanker
transporting the petrol from its production plant to the place where it will be
consumed leaks or sinks, the water will get contaminated.

 Transportation: Ever since men abandoned animal power to travel, pollution of the
environment has become higher and higher. Its levels have only been increasing
until now. Similarly to industries, pollution caused by transport can mainly be
attributed to fossil fuels. Indeed, humans went from horse carriages to cars, trains
(which, before electricity, used to be propelled by coal), and airplanes. As the
traffic is increasing every day, pollution follows that evolution.

 Agricultural Activities: Agriculture is mainly responsible for the contamination of

water and soil. This is caused by the increased use of pesticides, as well as by the
intensive character of its production. Almost all pesticides are made from chemical
substances and are meant to keep diseases and threatening animals away from the
crops. However, by keeping these forms of life away, harm is almost always made
to the surrounding environment as well.

 Furthermore, as agriculture gets more and more intensive to feed the increasing
world population, more environments and ecosystems are destroyed to make space
 for the crops. Some of them, like rapeseed –used to make oil – demand a lot of
space for a relatively small output.

 Trading Activities: Trading activities including the production and exchange of

goods and services. Concerning goods, pollution can be caused by packaging
(which often involves the use of plastic, which is made from fossil fuels) or
transport, mainly.

 Residences: Finally, residential areas provide their fair share of pollution as well.
First, to be able to build homes, natural environment has to be destroyed in one
way or another. Wildlife and plants are driven away and replaced by human
constructions. As it requires the work of industries, construction itself is also a
source of contamination of the environment. Then, when people settle in, they will
produce waste every day, including a part that cannot be processed by the
environment without harm yet.

EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

 Now that we have identified the main causes of environmental pollution, let us
study the negative effects it has:

 Effects on Humans: The effects of environmental pollution on humans are mainly

physical, but can also turn into neuro-affections in the long term. The best-known
troubles to us are respiratory, in the form of allergies, asthma, irritation of the eyes
and nasal passages, or other forms of respiratory infections. Notably, these well
spread affections can be observed when air pollution is high in cities, when the
weather gets hot, for instance. On top of that, environmental pollution has been
proven to be a major factor in the development of cancer. This can happen for
example when we eat reminiscences of pollutants used in the production of
processed foods, or pesticides from the crops. Other, rarer, diseases include
hepatitis, typhoid affections, diarrhoea and hormonal disruptions.

 Effects on Animals: Environmental pollution mainly affects animal by causing

harm to their living environment, making it toxic for them to live in. Acid rains
can change the composition of rivers and seas, making them toxic for fishes, an
important quantity of ozone in the lower parts of the atmosphere can cause lung
problems to all animals. Nitrogen and phosphates in water will cause overgrowth
of toxic algae, preventing other forms of life to follow their normal course.
Eventually, soil pollution will cause harm and sometimes even the destruction of
 microorganisms, which can have the dramatic effect of killing the first layers of
the primary food chain.

 Effects on Plants: As for animals, plants, and especially trees, can be destroyed by
acid rains (and this will also have a negative effect on animals as well, as their
natural environment will be modified), ozone in the lower atmosphere block the
plant respiration, and harmful pollutants can be absorbed from the water or soil.

 Effects on the Ecosystem: In short, environmental pollution, almost exclusively

created by human activities, has a negative effect on the ecosystem, destroying
crucial layers of it and causing an even more negative effect on the upper layers.

SOLUTIONS TO ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

 Gas emission pollution is being mitigated in a variety of ways with car emission
control, electric and hybrid vehicles and public transportation systems. Not all
major cities have successful implementation and decent public transportation in
place, but the world is working on this issue constantly and we have managed to
reduce emissions profoundly over the last decade. There is much catching up to
do.

 The cost of radioactive power plants is becoming apparent and the days of coal
power plants are nearly dead. The radiation is a serious issue. Radioactive leakage
from power plants and nuclear testing have already contaminated oceanic life to
such a degree that it will take hundreds of years to return to normal. More
radiation solutions are in the works with various ecologically friendly power
technologies being built every day.

 Solar power is a fantastic solution. Now that solar radiation is at a climactic peak,
we can reap power from the sun using solar panel systems. These range from
home systems to larger scale systems powering entire communities and cities.

 Wind power is coming into play. This may not seem like much at first, but when
you get about 100 feet off the ground, there is a great deal of wind up there. By
building wind turbines to harvest natural wind energy, electricity is produced.
Wind turbine power and solar power are both powerful forces against fossil fuel
power and radioactive power. The one problem here is power companies. They
want to stay with radioactive power plants because they actually can’t be removed.
It has become the crusades of many individuals and small corporations to make
 the switch and there are plenty of people following this as populations cry out for
help.

 Electromagnetic radiation (ER) reduction. Once major manufacturers of

computers and electronic devices realized the blatant potential for huge ER
emissions directly into the eyes and brains of users, they started to implement
hardware protocols to minimize risks and reduce ER production significantly.
Newer devices are in the lead to knock this problem out and, fortunately, this is
working.

 Also, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is well aware of all leaks and
tricks industries are using to dump wastes. This agency now has extremely strict
protocols and testing procedures implemented against such facilities so
populations are not affected. Additionally, the EPA is measuring air pollution and
implementing regulatory procedures for vehicle emissions. They also monitor
pollen issues and, with the help of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), they
implement solutions to reduce pollen in the air.

 Dropping pollen counts is a major focus for EPA and CDC activities. Asthma and
other allergic conditions are flooding medical care facilities and pharmaceutical
companies with serious public health problems. The response has been swift and
various methods to control emissions and reduce pollen counts are in the works.
Children and elderly people are at the highest risk for environmental pollution
related health problems. The good news is we are directly on the horizon to cut
down the causes and risks while providing practical health solutions for the
general public throughout the world.

SOLUTIONS OF FOOD WASTE

 Balancing food production with demand

Foremost, precedence should be centered on balancing food production with
demand to reduce the problem of food wastage. The first thing is to cut back on the use of
natural resources in food production. In hotels, restaurants and the food service industry,
risk management tools can be applied.

Such a tool will work towards ensuring managers and chefs only produce and
cook food in accordance with demand or the orders made. Producing large batches of
food has always resulted in food wastage. So in trying to save food, labor and money,
hotels and the entire food service industry should work on the production of small
batches or use the cook-to-order option.

 Bettering food harvesting, storage, processing and distribution processes

The second strategy should be placed on developing efficient technologies and
production systems that better storage, harvesting, processing and the distribution
processes. Redistribution can be the initial strategy for supplying or distributing more
food to where there is need and reducing supply where food is in surplus. Harvesting,
storage and processing should also be improved by governments and NGOs by availing
subsidies and training on better production practice, especially in developing countries.

 Food waste reduction initiatives

Supermarkets, retail food outlets, big restaurants and individual consumers all
alike can also work on their own tailored and creative efforts to reduce food footprint. For
instance, individual consumers can cut back their food footprint by not necessarily
placing high preference on the very best food quality.

At times even the ugly or blemished food items is still edible or can be purchased
then used to make dishes like soups. Over-merchandizing can also be reduced to
minimize food wastage.

CONSUMERS TO BUY AND PREPARE FOOD WITH A PLAN

The use of meal plans in preparing food can go a long way in ending food
wastage. Consumers should only buy food according to their plans or in small batches to
reduce the food that goes to waste due to expiration after long storage periods.

FOOD RECYCLING
Food recycling efforts are already underway but the technologies and methods
used should be bettered. Starch-rich foodstuff such as crisps, bread, biscuits and breakfast
cereals can for instance be recycled into high quality feeds for livestock.

The recycling of the food packaging materials can equally reduce over-
exploitation of virgin material. If it’s completely unfit for consumption, it can still be
converted for other uses instead of being taken to the landfills to emit methane gas.

 Foodprint campaigns
 Campaigns for reducing food footprint can help fishers, farmers, supermarkets,
food processors, individual consumers, and the local and national governments to work
on strategies for preventing food wastage. The UN and FAO have already launched such
a campaign by putting emphasis on “Think Eat Save – Reduce Your Foodprint” campaign
slogan. Moreover, with more and more of such campaigns, societies at large will be
informed on ways for reducing foodprint and get the real facts about environmental
impacts. Ultimately, it will aid in solving the problem of food wastage.

As fertilizer use increases around the world, the air and water pollution it causes is
becoming an increasingly acute and widespread problem. Large-scale agriculture is not
the only culprit. In North America, lawns and gardens contribute significantly. Anything
that helps to keep nutrients in the ground and out of our air and our water helps to
ameliorate these problems. Compost does this.

 Water Pollution
Fertilizers and plant nutrients can cause problems in both ground and surface
water. In ground water, the primary problem is usually nitrogen. Its source is almost
always fertilizers, whether organic (manure) or synthetic. Nitrogen is the most mobile of
the three primary plant nutrients, and the one most likely to percolate through soil to
reach underground aquifers.

It appears in aquifers primarily in the form of nitrates which can inhibit the ability
of the blood to carry oxygen in infants and young livestock. This condition, called
methemoglobinemia or blue baby syndrome, rarely afflicts humans over six months of
age. But nitrates may also contribute to a range of other health problems in older children
and adults.

A potent elixir for your garden! Compost tea nourishes plants quickly without
danger of burning. Rich and balanced in nutrients, this precious liquid give plants a boost,
stimulating growth and giving them the strength they need to ward off pests and disease.

Both nitrogen and phosphorus reach surface water in large quantities, primarily
through agricultural runoff. Both nutrients contribute to eutrophication, the over-
fertilization of water, which can in turn cause hypoxia, depletion of oxygen. This is
familiar to most through algae blooms, the explosive growth of microscopic algae, which
use up all the available oxygen in the region. Fish can often escape, but shellfish are
trapped and will suffocate along with many other bottom-dwellers.
 High levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in agricultural runoff are almost certainly
the primary cause of what is known as the Dead Zone, a growing area in the Gulf of
Mexico at the mouth of the Mississippi where all aquatic life has died.

Other dead zones have begun to appear around the world, primarily at the mouths

of large rivers that run through agricultural land.

 Air Pollution
The major air pollutant associated with fertilizers is ammonia (NH3). It is a
component of many synthetic fertilizers but it is also produced when some organic
fertilizers break down. In fact, both in the United States and globally, manure is estimated
to be responsible for about 50% of the total ammonia emitted.

In enclosed spaces, ammonia can cause eye and lung irritation in humans, and
decreased body weight in livestock. Once released into the atmosphere, it can lead to the
formation of what’s known as particulate matter (PM), very small air-borne particles
which according to the EPA are linked to a range of lung and cardiovascular diseases. The
PM formed with ammonia is especially small, having a diameter of 2.5 microns or less
(PM2.5) which means that it can penetrate deep into the lungs.
 Ammonia can travel hundreds of miles from its source and can interact with other
compounds to increase haze, form acid rain, and over-fertilize crops, forests and arctic
meadows. It can be deposited in surface water where it contributes to eutrophication.

In a 2002 report on Air Emissions from Animal Feeding Operations (click here to
download a free PDF), the United States National Resource Council (NRC) evaluated
nine emissions (eight gases plus “odor”) associated with feeds and manure and rated their
significance as Major, Significant, Minor or Insignificant. Ammonia was the only one of
the nine emissions that the NRC deemed a “Major” problem at global, national and
regional levels.

 Sources
While agriculture (including livestock) contributes the bulk of nutrients that cause
pollution, back yards and gardens contribute far more than one might expect.
Homeowners in North America routinely over-fertilize their lawns to the point where the
EPA estimates that in the United States, 40-60% of applied fertilizers end up in surface
water. This means that the same percentages — only 40-60% — actually get used by the
grass (see “Sustainable Landscaping” – PDF).

COMPOST TO THE RESCUE

As this brief summary shows, the pollution problems caused by fertilizers are not
minor. While a number of practices can alleviate the problem at the agricultural level (the
timing of manure and fertilizer application, injection of fertilizers into soil rather than
surface application, maintenance of buffers between fields and lakes, ponds, and streams,
and of course, avoiding over-application of fertilizer), only some of these can be used in
small-scale settings. Compost, however, can be used both on rural fields and on city
lawns.

Compost can help prevent pollution in at least two ways, by preventing run-off
and by retaining nutrients. Interestingly, both are made possible by the same attribute in
compost: its ability to provide attachment sites for nutrients.

Nutrient Loss: The chemistry involved is covered in greater detail in the section
that explains how compost Boosts Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC). Because compost
helps bind nutrients chemically, it prevents them from leaching into groundwater. And
because it keeps them in the topsoil where roots can reach them, it ensures that greater
proportions of fertilizer applied actually get used by plants. While obviously good for the
plants, this also reduces the amount of nutrients that will pollute air or water.
 Runoff: Compost berms slow and filter rainwater as it rushes downhill, straining
out soil and nutrients so that these do not pollute waterways and so that they are not lost
to the
land.
RECYCLING FOOD WASTE
If composting is out of the question for you, consider these options for putting
your waste to work:

1. Contribute your food waste to a neighbor’s compost pile. Look for gardeners in your
area and ask them if you can add to their pile. Assure your neighbors you won’t add meat
or fat, because they can attract animals.

2. Offer your waste to a local farmer. Even urban areas have farmers that bring their
goods to town. Ask if they’ll pick up your waste or if you can bring it to their farm. It
could be a great excuse to make a regular trip out to the surrounding countryside.

3. Recycle your waste at the town solid waste facility. Many towns have regular pickup
of leaves, grass clippings, and other yard waste, or you may have to take your waste to
organic waste recycling center. It’s a great money-saver: Diverting organic waste away
from its landfill saves the town of Amherst, New York $1.8 million annually. Find out
what your town does to recycle organic materials and learn how you can participate.

4. Bring your scraps to work. Some avid gardeners set up compost buckets in their
workplaces. If you work in a restaurant or school you may be able to add to their organic
waste recycling. Participating schools in Massachusetts are saving about $1,000 a year by
community composting, and restaurants are seeing their trash bills go down by 20%.

5. Feed chickens, pigs, or goats. While feeding weeds and kitchen waste to domestic pets
isn’t a good idea, many farm animals will thrive on your scraps.

6. Start worm composting, which can be done indoors, even in an apartment. With worm
composting, or vermiculture, you recycle food scraps into nutrient-rich compost.