As the holiday season starts to wind down people are left with all of the excess rubbish, food, gift wrapping, boxes, can, and jars that are left behind after holiday celebrations. This means that if each person does not take responsibility that Christmas can be a season of waste as well as joy. One particularly alarming statistic is the amount of food that gets thrown away during the holidays. Being that Christmas is the time of giving it seems almost criminal to throw away food knowing that there are so many around the world who don’t get enough to eat. Besides the ethical concerns involved with throwing away perfectly good food, there is also the effect on the environment, as food waste can add up to a big problem for Mother Nature.
The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs recently did a study that showed that around two hundred and thirty metric tonnes of food waste get tossed out each holiday season. To put this amount in perspective it is approximately the same weight as four and half million whole turkeys. The problem with food waste is that like most organic compounds it eventually breaks down in landfills and turns into harmful methane gas that is far worse for the environment than carbon. Defra has some suggestions of how to get rid of the waste, including donating it to charitable organizations or food collection agencies that will turn the waste into valuable fuel.
Hilary Benn suggested that residents should be turning their leftovers into something useful rather than just tossing it away an adding to the problem.
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