Environmental News

The majority of our food is extracted from natural environments, and when not managed sustainably,
we will consume resources at a rate that is faster than what we can replenish them. The same goes
for soil. When extensively worked, soil can erode, losing key organic contents and its ability to support
plant life and the rest of the ecosystem. This includes the micro and macro species that inhabit these
areas. Soil can be said to be the foundation of ecosystem health.

One of South Africa’s most valuable resources requires us to implement considerable management
and conservation measures, should we want to have this resource available to us in the future. Our
soil allows us to grow food, keep groundwater clean, regulate local climate conditions, and supports
the rest of the ecosystem.

While many businesses are finding a way to keep their power on and operations running, businesses within the agriculture, food processing and hospitality sectors are also dealing with an increase in organic waste due to load shedding. An interrupted power supply is affecting cold storage units, ovens, and production lines. This has resulted in higher volumes of food and organic waste from these sectors.

The waste management sector for solid, liquid and hazardous waste is tightly regulated according to the National Environmental Management: Waste Act (NEM:WA) and waste classification regulations. Depending on the nature of the waste, specific on-site transport and disposal protocols should apply. For the most part, the handling, transport and disposal of waste stream requires you to have a waste management licence. This, however, is not necessarily the case for organic waste composting.

Every year there seems to be more emphasis placed on addressing waste as a resource and creating a circular economy with different waste streams. With food and organic waste, it was no different. More attention on a national, regional and local level was given to different alternative waste treatment (AWT) technologies and processes that divert organic waste and process it into a resource. These were the milestones that we, as an industry, saw in 2022:

Zac is back, road-tripping across Australia to explore the country’s landscape, wildlife, and sustainable sectors. BiobiN was originally founded in Australia in response to the growing need to recycle the large amounts of organic and wet materials being sent to landfill. The country has a large agricultural sector, and therefore an efficient, sustainable and scalable organic waste management solution was needed. This was where BiobiN was born.

At the centre of sustainability reporting is waste reporting, and organic waste data is at the centre of waste reporting. How much organic waste is produced, and how much is diverted from landfill?

Approximately 14% of the world’s agricultural produce grown is lost after harvest, and a further 17% is
lost within the retail sector before it reaches the consumer. An estimated 3.1 billion people worldwide
do not have access to a healthy diet, and about 828 million people go hungry. This food loss and
waste account for up to 10% of the total global GHGs that contribute to climate change and global
warming.

What does a sustainable future look like? A net-zero carbon footprint, clean air and water, sustainable food sources, and no waste. While this sound like the ideal scenario for a future sustainable city, this is all attainable with the right urban space design, circular waste management systems and collaboration between businesses and citizens to implement this model.

Resource scarcity and shortages are not a new theme for us here in South Africa. While water and energy shortages have rocked our normality and forced us to adjust to challenging circumstances, there is one resource shortage that is less talked about but needs to be bought to the absolutely fore in the public’s attention.