In India, meals have always been given utmost importance, with some communities even offering food to the Gods before consuming it themselves. Alas, not everyone is fortunate enough to have three square meals a day, every day; it is rather distressing to be privy to the amount of food that is wasted across the world. It has been estimated that around 1.3 billion tonnes of food are wasted every year - enough to feed the world three times over. Putting the problem of food wastage in the spotlight this year was the theme of World Environment Day, celebrated every year on 5th June. Called ‘Think, Eat, Save’, this theme focused on the ever-increasing issue of food wastage in India and across the globe.
Go figure
The problem of food wastage is not limited to developing countries. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the per capita food waste/loss by consumers in Europe and North-America is around 95-115 kg/year, while in Sub-Saharan Africa and South/Southeast Asia it is about 6-11 kg/year. The latter figure also applies to India. While, this may not seem so crucial in comparison, given the situation, the figures in India are staggering.
The United Nations Development Programme records that about 40 percent of food is wasted in India every year, amounting to Rs. 58,000 crore! The urban Indian contributes to about 35 percent of this wastage alone. These figures are rather ironical, given that India, with nearly one-fifth of the total population and 43.5 percent of under-five children malnourished, ranked 15th from the bottom in the 2012 global hunger index. Apart from this, food wastage in India accounts for an annual agriculture produce loss worth Rs. 50,000 crore, which is enough to feed around 300 million poor in the country every year.
Food as organic waste
So, wherein does the problem lie? Food wastage can occur anywhere in the food supply chain; but, we will address the issue from the perspective of urban sanitation, and one of the contributing sources is the consumer whose excess purchasing, careless eating behaviour and social events are huge causes of this wastage. Another source is the F&B industry, which finds that maximum wastage comes from food left over from patrons’ meals and parties or from the kitchen in the form of unusable raw produce; all of this contributes to‘organic waste’.
Organic waste is one of the single largest constituents of the municipal solid waste stream. Food waste is unsightly, unsanitary and smelly; it is the major cause of contamination of resources and endlessly produces greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to global warming and climate change. Improper solid waste management deteriorates public health, causes environmental pollution, accelerates natural resources degradation, causes climate change and greatly impacts the quality of life of citizens.
Addressing the issue
India has already started addressing the issue of food wastage in our cities through a number of measures targeted at treating waste. In Mumbai, some hotels are taking matters into their own hands. Take for instance the Taj Hotels. According to Pankaj Sampat, General Manager, Vivanta by Taj President, “Food wastage is considered a direct erosion of income. Hence, we endeavour to control wastage to a large extent and minimise the same at every operational procedure from procurement, storing and preparation.” Food wastage or typically excess food preparation occurs pre-dominantly at banqueting events or staff cafeterias.
The hotel actively engages in HACCP and ISO 22000 practises and conducts monthly internal audits and annual certification. In the kitchen, food is prepared for the minimum guaranteed people in a banquet and is made fresh, thereby proactively avoiding wastage. Moreover, all the raw materials ordered are as per prescribed specifications based on consumption patterns at various outlets. Cold storage is effectively used as a medium to provide more shelf life to raw materials.
Other hotels, however, rely on external sources to manage their food waste, and these practices are escalating since the past year. According to a news report, Delhi Government’s environment department recently issued a notice asking 35 five-star hotels to file affidavits informing them about measures they are taking to cut the consumption of water and manage organic waste by September this year. The report included Imperial Hotel’s plans to install an organic waste convertor on site to convert wet kitchen waste into high quality manure, which will then be distributed to the Delhi Parks and Garden Society, free of cost. Ashok Hotel, ITDC’s prime property, too, announced a tender for setting up a 300 kg-per day organic waste management system.
Outsourcing food waste management
Bengaluru, too, is following in these footsteps, given that one-fifth of the city’s organic and food waste is contributed by hotels. Evidence of this comes from the Bruhat Bangalore Hotel Association (BBHA) and Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) tri-party MoU with Pune-based integrated environmental solutions company NobleExchange Environment Solutions Pvt. Ltd (NEX). NEX is an independent producer of MSW-based clean energy supported with a comprehensive service model for zero drip, zero odour pick-up and transportation of organic waste. The proposal towards this MoU creates a win-win situation for all stakeholders - BBMP, citizens, bulk generators, NEX and, most importantly, the environment. Nuriel Pezarkar, Founder and CEO, NEX, says, “When we approached BBMP, they were already on the lookout for an immediate scientific solution for waste treatment. They had appointed the Karnataka State Biofuel Development Board (KSBDB) as their technical advisors to help shortlist technologies and service providers that will help eliminate the garbage crisis.
The KSBDB technical committee reviewed our technology and eventually gave us the approval for technical and commercial feasibility of the project. Our project plan and technology proposed was also reviewed and approved by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board and backed by BBHA.”
Given the adverse effects of organic food waste, which is highly biodegradable and has a high volatile solids destruction rate (86-90%), when scientifically treated, it creates clean energy, which can substitute conventional sources of energy and add to a hygienic and healthy environment.
Solutions at site
NEX proposes solutions at various levels. One of its prime solutions for treating food waste is the Clean Box, which is a portable, fully automatic waste management solution. The space requirement is small and can easily be fitted in any premises without the need for extensive civil or other works at site. The plant does not need fresh water and it’s an odourless, zero-discharge solution for environment-friendly treatment of organic waste. The Clean Box can treat waste up to 2 TPD.
The plant is based on anaerobic digestion (AD)/bio-methanation technology. AD is a biological process that occurs naturally when bacteria breaks down organic matter in environments with little or no oxygen. It is effectively a controlled and enclosed version of the anaerobic breakdown of organic waste in landfill, which releases methane. Almost any organic material can be processed with AD, including food scraps; fats, oils and grease (FOG); tissue paper; garden waste; sewage; and animal waste. In terms of by products, biogas and organic manure are produced as a result of AD. While the biogas can be used either for cooking or producing electricity, the odourless and nitrogen-rich organic manure is a cost effective and eco friendly replacement to conventional chemical fertilisers used for gardening and landscape purposes.
NEX’s scientifically designed 250 TPD MSW facility will require approximately 5-7 acres of land fixed for 30 years compared to untreated dumping landfill sites that require over 8.75 acres (assuming 10 m heap of garbage) per year (262 acres landfill over 30 years) for the same 250 TPD waste, thus freeing up over 255 acres for other productive use over the life span of the project.
Moreover, the commissioning of the project by NEX in Bangalore will require no capital investment by BBMP or BBHA members; investment in the processing plant and waste storage and pick-up system will be undertaken by NEX. The total elimination of costs to BBMP for pick-up, transportation and disposal of organic waste will result in net savings of over Rs. 27 crore per year (cost assumed at Rs. 3,000 per tonne at the current level) and savings of over Rs. 800 crore over 30 years of the project at current price levels. The commissioning time for the project will be 12-14 months from the date of land possession with the total investment exceeding Rs. 550 million. This is not the limit for NEX. The company plans to take its waste processing solutions to cities beyond Bangalore. Pezarkar says, “We are already in different stages of discussion with the municipal corporations of other metro and mini-metro cities who want to move forward and provide a scientific, hygienic and environment-friendly solution to society and citizens at large. Projects are also under discussion at high-priority international cities in South Africa, Israel and the Middle East.”
Organic waste converters
Another method of treating food waste is through the organic waste converter (OWC). A technology patented by Mumbai-based technology company Excel Industries Ltd., the OWC works on the concept of bio-mechanical composting. While Excel commissions and operates many MSW processing plants across India, the company realised that the real problem is the lack of segregation. Segregated organic waste is put into the OWC along with absorbents such as sawdust or recycled manure and Excel's proprietary bioculture, Bioculum, and the machine is run for a period of 15 minutes. In the end, homogenised nuisance-free raw compost is produced. This compost is then cured in the curing system (a structure supplied with the OWC consisting of MS racks, crates and fogging system) for seven days, after which the fully matured compost is deemed suitable for organic farming and landscaping. Matured compost is 30 percent of the total organic waste first fed into the OWC by weight. The OWC system is available in different capacities to treat between 100 kg/day to 2,000 kg/day of organic waste.
According to Saurabh Shah, Vice President and OWC Business Head, Excel Industries Ltd., the demand for OWCs is increasing year-on-year. Some of the principal clients include socially-responsible corporate companies with large canteens and gardens; real-estate developers coming up with large residential projects, who are either driven by regulations or by the need of having a Green Rating; large hotels largely driven by regulatory pressure from the Pollution Control Boards or local municipal corporations; Urban Local Bodies who take up the OWC as part of their integrated MSW plan; small (tier-III and -IV) municipal corporations look at OWC projects as a solution for treatment of their city's solid waste; Agriculture Produce Market Committees have a huge demand as they realise the importance of treating all the vegetable waste at the source of generation. “Having said that,” Shah adds, “we spend a lot of time, effort and money in educating the masses about the need of at-source waste management and that there is a technology that eases out the process.
Shredding food waste
Another solution for food waste management is the organic shredder. Currently provided by Bengaluru-based company, M.K. Associateess, the Shredder TR 200 by TRAPP runs on a single-phase electric current and helps in appreciably high-volume reduction of subjected food refuse. The Organic Shredder TR 200 mainly handles food waste and tuber rejects/fuse. It has an output of 150 to 200 kg per hour, using very little power with a single phase 1.25 hp motor. One TR 200 shredder proves to be sufficient in meeting the requirement of small domestic clusters. It is designed to shred leaves, twigs and small branches (dry/green); branches up to 25 mm (green) and 15 mm (dry); meal leftovers (without any liquid); fruits and vegetable refuse along with discarded items from the kitchen - egg shells, meat and small bones - paper; and, to an extent, flowers. Together, all these materials are converted into compost or vermin-compost.
R.C. Dutt, President, M.K. Associateess, says, “Since these are shredded into 5/10 mm pieces, the particles retain the sap or liquid content unlike when crushed or threshed. Due to this, natural evaporation takes place, allowing the particle to become concentrated and turn into flakes. As a result, the slow fermentation process does not emit any odour. The combination of micro-organisms, humidity, helps the particles decompose naturally.” In case of moisture build-up, the materials can be covered with canvas, straw or coarse floor drugget. In an open yard, earthworms nitrogenise and ventilate the compost. Currently, these shredders are being used in Nasik, Thiruvananthapuram, East of Kailash in Delhi and in Bengaluru by several large apartment complexes, temples, schools, social extension food catering clubs and small resident welfare societies.
Almost a third of food produced for human consumption is either lost or wasted. Waste occurs at nearly every level of production, such that many go hungry both in India and around the globe. The challenge is to raise awareness at the individual, organisational and state level; it is important to disseminate information about best practices to reduce, recover and recycle food waste. A take away from all of the above is that proper segregation ensures zero-waste systems. Each waste stream when treated differently and scientifically saves money, time and energy, and the effective results are achieved reducing load to the landfill sites. This brings us back to this year’s theme, ‘Think, Eat Save’.