Singaporeans waste more than 703,000 tonnes of food
SoShiok | Thu Apr 18 2013
This works out to about 132kg of food waste annually per individual in Singapore.
Singapore, April 18, 2013
Singaporeans wasted more than 703 thousand tonnes of food last year, according to statistics released at the end of March 2013.
The annual waste and recycling statistics from the National Environment Agency showed that Singaporeans produced close to 7.3 million tonnes of general waste in 2012, with an average recycling rate of 60 per cent.
Of the total amount of waste, food waste constituted about 9.67 per cent.
According to My Paper, this averages to about 132kg of food wasted per individual, 2kg more than the previous year.
Although the amount of food waste recycled is on the climb at 12 per cent, the NEA hopes to achieve a targeted 40 per cent recycling rate for food waste by 2030.
How they recycle:
Hotel Intercontinental: About 600kg of leftovers are collected each day. They use high tech machinery to sort through the waste and convert recyclable waste into water. 600 kg of waste can fill up to two bathtubs' worth of water.
Sakae Sushi: In the central kitchen, a machine is able to sort and process food waste into fertiliser and chicken feed. This is then sold to farmers in Malaysia. The company saves about $300,000 annually through waste recycling.
Refinery Concepts: The chef will mix together leftover tomato skins, pectin and sugar to produce chewy sweets.
Unilever Food Solutions: Watermelon skins and sugar syrup are boiled together to become a cold dish.
How to reduce food wastage:
(Source: Makanmantra.com)
1. Opt for a smaller serving size
2. Finish what is on your plate first before ordering more
3. Don't be embarrassed to pack leftover food home
4. Ask the waiter about the ingredients in a dish before ordering
5. Replace or remove ingredients that you don't or can't eat
6. Try to finish the side dishes
7. Eat slowly. The human brain takes 20 minutes to register that you are full
8. Spread the message to friends and family