HOUSTON – The food that never finds its way to our bellies is terrible for our wallets and damaging to the environment.
The EPA says that the average family of four purchases $1,500 worth of food per year that goes uneaten. Those leftovers and table scraps find their way into landfills, creating greenhouse gases like methane over time, warming the atmosphere.
One solution to reduce food waste in landfills is composting. Leo Brito with Zero Waste Houston describes composting as “nature’s way of recycling organic material.”
Here’s how it works: You mix organic materials like leaves, chicken bones, and banana peels with wood chips. This combination of carbon and nitrogen materials creates heat that will break down food and turn it into compost. Compost can be used as fertilizer to grow more food.
Composting can also save the City of Houston money. The city pays to use landfills, but beyond that, landfill space is limited. Solid Waste Management pays for six landfills; with those six, there are only 13 years left of capacity.
The City of Houston, Solid Waste Management, and Zero Waste Houston launched a pilot program in four neighborhoods – Sunnyside, Acres Homes, Kashmere, and Acres Homes to cut back on food waste in landfills.
Veronica Lizama with Solid Waste Management says neighborhoods like The Heights were not a part of the pilot program because they have advanced initiatives.
“We really wanted to focus this time around on Sunnyside Kashmere. These are areas that are historically underserved. So this really provides, the access to bring and get really educated in this particular, type of waste,” Lizama said.
Education that is turning into action. So far, the pilot program has collected 900 pounds of food waste, and they have until February 29 to add to this number.
Zero Waste Houston hopes this initiative can continue beyond the polite program.
“Let’s keep the momentum going,” Brito said.