A global alliance of organics recycling associations is calling for world leaders to make COP26 a ‘turning point’ in history for the recycling of food and garden waste.
The alliance says that every country, business and person can help mitigate climate change by recycling their unavoidable food and garden waste into fertilisers and soil improvers, and that action needs be taken immediately to get the maximum benefits from these valuable resources.
This can be achieved by recycling them through garden, on-site or large-scale systems to create valuable carbon-rich organic matter for return to our soils for carbon storage, biodiversity, water conservation and food security. The alliance call for action to be taken now to implement systems to recycle organic waste back to soils.
According to data from the World Bank, 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2016 (1.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent) were generated from solid waste treatment and disposal, with food waste accounting for nearly 50% of overall emissions. The recycling of unavoidable organic wastes will reduce this significant source of greenhouse gas emissions.
COP26 offers a turning point in history for the recycling of food and garden waste
Climate stabilising benefits are also realised when compost and organic matter are returned back to our soils. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, 95% of our food is directly or indirectly produced on our soils with organic matter being fundamental to its overall health, soil structure, biodiversity and biological activity of soil organisms and plant nutrient availability.
The fact that the world’s soils act as the largest terrestrial carbon sink, reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, ‘intensifies’ this role to significantly offset the rapid rise of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the alliance says.
Organic recycling is a highly affordable carbon capture tool and can be done at many different scales, accessible to all through local solutions which can also deliver added benefits in renewable energy production, improved water quality and conservation and food security, according to the global alliance.
‘A turning point’
On behalf of the global alliance, Jenny Grant, Head of Organics and Natural Capital at the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA), said: “COP26 offers a turning point in history for the recycling of food and garden waste.
“Our global alliance is urging world leaders to use this unique opportunity to make a major step change, by collectively agreeing to a major increase in the recycling of unavoidable food and garden waste back to soil as fertilisers and soil improvers.
“This can be achieved by recycling them through garden, on-site or large-scale systems to create valuable carbon-rich organic matter for return to our soils for carbon storage, biodiversity, water conservation and food security.
“With such a significant proportion of global greenhouse gas emissions being generated from waste treatment and disposal, it’s crucial that an agreement is reached in Glasgow.
“With a decisive intervention, the recycling of unavoidable organic wastes is an immediate opportunity to help put the brakes on global temperature rises.”
The global alliance is comprised of: The Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA); The Australian Organics Recycling Association (AORA); Compost Council of Canada (CCC); European Compost Network (ECN); International Solid Waste Association (ISWA); CRÉ – Composting and Anaerobic Digestion Association of Ireland; WasteMINZ (Waste Management Institute of New Zealand); The United States Composting Council (USCC); and The Compost Research & Education Foundation (CREF).
