FOGO: Friend or Foe?

We’re successful nan midst of a global discarded crisis.

From the ‘Great’ Pacific Garbage Patch to nan microplastics seasoning your cereal, nan rubbish we ‘throw away’ seems to harvest backmost up almost everywhere you look.

Food Organics and Garden Organics, besides known arsenic FOGO, is simply a authorities inaugural aimed astatine tackling nan discarded crisis.

FOGO is based connected nan thought that sorting our discarded is easiest astatine nan apical of nan chain: our kitchens.

Is this subtle alteration to a play chore really nan solution to a pressing world issue?

WASTE NOT, WANT NOT

Humans person been reasoning astir wherever to dump their rubbish since clip began.

Landfills day backmost to 3000 BC. Mounds of quality byproducts – called middens – whitethorn beryllium arsenic ancient arsenic 130,000 years ago.

Everything changed successful nan 20th century. Enter plastic. This highly useful worldly doesn’t decompose. It conscionable breaks down into tinier and tinier pieces until it becomes inorganic microplastic dust, for illustration hyper-coloured sand. 

Caption: Microplastics person been recovered from nan apical of Everest to nan bottommost of nan Mariana Trench
Credit: OceanBlueProject, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Australian households were responsible for 12.4 cardinal tonnes of discarded successful 2019, of which astir 10% was plastic. 

Each of america generates complete 300 kilos successful wasted nutrient a year

Even aft we die, high-level atomic discarded is stored heavy underground successful accommodation designed to deter relationship for nan 100,000 years it will stay radioactive.

THE CRUST OF THE ISSUE

Lauren Goodheart is simply a Resource Recovery Specialist astatine Australia’s starring discarded guidance institution Cleanaway.

She says organization maturation has importantly influenced nan issue. 

“As nan organization grows and urbanisation increases, depletion patterns shift,” says Lauren.

“People are buying much packaged goods, eating much processed foods and creating much discarded – driven by engaged schedules, convenience-oriented nutrient choices and a throwaway culture.”

The work doesn’t dishonesty solely pinch nan user though. Governments and corporations person plentifulness to reply for.

“Brands are ever promoting caller nutrient products to consumers and output these products astatine precocious volumes, which doesn’t ever equate to nan user demand,” says Lauren.

“They past expire and spell to landfill.”

Caption: Australia produces 7.6 cardinal tonnes of nutrient discarded a year
Credit: petrr, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

IS FOGO A NOGO?

As nan walls of rubbish proceed to build astir us, scientists person a fewer hopeful solutions. 

In China, 1 of nan world’s starring discarded producers, researchers are emphasising an attack called co-production. 

Co-production intends nan rumor must beryllium tackled culturally astatine all levels – from nan consumers astatine nan bottom, done nan proviso chain, to nan institutions astatine nan top. Everyone is progressive and responsible. 

“Waste recycling systems should thief alteration behaviours, not alteration bad habits,” says Lauren.

“If we trust solely connected recycling while continuing to overconsume and dispose of materials carelessly, we’re missing nan bigger image – discarded avoidance.”

She says discarded acquisition and consciousness are critical, arsenic good arsenic campaigns for illustration The Great Unwaste and OzHarvest. 

The Great Unwaste inaugural intends to displacement nan mindset from discarded disposal to assets recovery, encouraging group to rethink what they propulsion distant and find ways to reuse, repair and recycle correctly. 

“The extremity is to move discarded into opportunity, ensuring valuable materials don’t extremity up successful landfill,” says Lauren. 

IF IT GROWS, IT GOES

Lauren says that, moreover erstwhile being mindful of minimising nutrient waste, location will beryllium leftover scraps.

“Instead of sending scraps to landfill, FOGO ensures they’re put to bully use,” says Lauren.

When dumped astatine nan tip, FOGO discarded releases dangerous amounts of methane.

“By recovering nutrient and plot waste, we tin toggle shape it into nutrient-rich compost that enriches our ungraded alternatively than contributing to harmful methane emissions,” says Lauren. 

While invention is valuable successful effective discarded management, we request to prioritise prevention – addressing nan root cause alternatively than uncovering caller ways to woody pinch nan consequences.

Caption: The discarded level is simply a useful tool
Credit: New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

“By embracing FOGO and having a ‘reduce waste’ mindset, we create a strategy wherever discarded isn’t discarded – it’s fixed a caller life,” says Lauren.

INNOVATE, ADAPT, OVERCOME?

Labs astir nan world are processing caller technologies to woody pinch discarded – from fungus that tin eat integrative for lunch to bacterial enzymes that digest microplastics. 

Some reason AI tin save nan day. Others, for illustration our CSIRO, are creating compostable plastic, transforming discarded into a valuable commodity.  

But really acold tin invention return america erstwhile we proceed to devour astatine existent rates?

“Refuse and trim should beryllium our first focus,” says Lauren.

“Reusing and repurposing past travel into play.

“Ultimately, invention should support reduction, not conscionable amended ways of managing waste. 

“If we only attraction connected nan latter, we consequence treating nan symptoms while allowing nan problem – overconsumption – to persist unchecked.”