On the tourist island Phuket, the problem of food waste is an increasingly critical issue. To reduce that waste, the Thai Organic Consumer Association (TOCA) is working with hotels in Phuket to initiate a food waste composting system, which is in line with the BCG (Bio-Circular-Green Economic Model).
About one-third of all food produced for human consumption in the world goes to waste, according to a study commissioned by the United Nations food agency. If food waste goes to landfills and rots, it produces a huge amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and can also spread viruses and diseases.
TOCA is currently working with the Phuket Hotels Association (PHA) to implement a pilot project encouraging hotels to transform organic waste into high-quality compost. TOCA is also planning to partner with hotels on Samui Island and in Chiang Mai province to serve as models of the food waste ecosystem platform. This would be an inspiring example for promoting the good practices and actions of the hotels nationwide.
According to the Pollution Control Department of Thailand, food waste accounts for 64% of total waste in the country and nearly 40% of that food waste is still edible and of good quality. There are various actions taken at the consumer level from delivering leftovers to those in need to freezing food, shopping smarter, and composting.
With the world population growing, the United Nations sees an urgent need to address the large quantities of food lost and wasted around the globe. By 2030, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) aims to halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.
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