Millions of kilos of food thrown away in capital area each year

print this

Households in the Greater Helsinki area produce around 60 kilograms of food waste per person each year. Such waste comprises peelings and bones, coffee grounds, leavings, and items of food past their use-by date.
     
Even if only ten per cent of the generated biowaste was material originally meant for eating, that would still translate to millions of kilograms of potential food gone to waste in the capital area alone, the Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council (YTV) calculates.
      Environmental expert Minna Partti from YTV emphasises that the exact amount of food chucked in the bin is anybody's guess. The ten per cent figure used in the calculations is a mere estimate.
     
According to a recently published study, 33 per cent of households throw away spoilt and expired foodstuffs weekly. Leavings off plates are thrown away by no less than 46 per cent of households every week.
      Relatively speaking, the greatest quantity of food waste is disposed of by households with more than four members, some of whom are school age or younger children, with at least one of the parents staying at home.
      "People today demand fresh food. Hence for example slightly dried bread is easily thrown into the bin", Partti says.
     
YTV conducted the questionnaire-based study this year and in 2006. Compared with 2006, the amount of leavings and spoilt food thrown away was slightly smaller this year.
      About a thousand capital-area residents were interviewed for the study, which focused solely on households and therefore ignored the foodstuffs thrown away by retail stores and restaurants.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  More efficient sorting and recycling could significantly decrease household waste in Helsinki region (8.10.2004)

Links:
  YTV Waste Management

Helsingin Sanomat