How does RCHK contribute to the food waste crisis in Hong Kong?

By Miffy Leung, Isabel Wong and Yuki Luo

Right now in Hong Kong, we waste 38% of the food produced every day.

As the landfills pile up and greenhouse gases are released into our environment, the lack of sustainable action to solve this problem and the consequences for our city become more and more evident. Landfills pollute the local environment, including the water and the soil, while also releasing innumerable quantities of toxic chemicals into our environment, which then go into our bodies and can make us sick. Food waste rots and decomposes, producing harmful gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, which are both greenhouse gases and contribute to the global warming crisis. 1,000 kilograms of food waste emits roughly 1900 kilograms of CO2. This results from anaerobic decomposition as bacteria break down any organic matter to produce many greenhouse gases.

The diagram below shows the amount of food waste, split into categories, produced in Hong Kong daily.

Unnecessary food production results in wasted money, and we can stop the waste by not buying more than we need so factories will reduce the amount of food they produce. 

Year 9 student, Eunie Jeong, comments: "I believe the quantities of food wasted in RCHK, particularly in the cafeteria are becoming an issue which ultimately contributes to ruining the environment." 

This issue is prevalent in our school. Chemistry teacher Vidya Madhavan bemoans student attitudes:  “I have seen kids keeping the plates on top of trash cans with all the food on it, there is a considerable amount of food waste.” In fact, before the coronavirus restrictions, thetrash cans in the canteen were filled with food waste most of the time.

Reducing the production and consumption of food is the most direct and convenient way of solving this problem. The Eatrite Team has put up posters trying to raise awareness and promote methods to prevent food waste. It advocates planning out what you need to buy before grocery shopping to minimise buying excess food. Another strategy involves keeping leftovers and storing food correctly. This prevents food from decomposing or ripening beforehand and decreases the volume of thrown-away food. We should also check the expiry date before buying food to ensure we can finish the products before the expiry date. When making this extra effort, it is important to remember, as Anushka Binakya of 9.3 mentions, “Before people waste food they should think about people who don't get to eat food.”

Additionally, we can help by creating initiatives that educate the public, so more people understand this issue.We can install bio-digesters to process food waste. These are machines that mimic the natural digesting process, turning food waste into an environmentally friendly liquid fertiliser used for the school’s gardens and plants. Using this technology and applying it to our own school’s waste is a viable possibility.The sustainability team when asked replied,  “Implementing a compost system in RCHK is a great idea and it would be a fantastic asset to the garden at our school.”

In conclusion, food waste is a mammoth Hong Kong problem, yet few recognise it. It is because of this that we need to raise awareness about this issue. If you want to help stop food waste together, start small, but think big!