Food that is perfectly fine to consume but is often thrown away – is recognised as a global problem by the United Nations, which reports that an estimated 17% of food produced is wasted. Closer to home, in South Africa, a country already gripped by drought and hunger, a third of all food – approximately 10 million tonnes a year – is never consumed and ends up at rubbish dumps. Much of this food waste occurs in homes – by cooking or serving too much food, food getting spoiled due to improper storage, poor meal prep and overbuying.
So how can you reduce your food waste and make a small difference to better food security?
One easy way is to invest in a home composting device. This will allow you to cut down on your food waste, reduce methane (a type of greenhouse gas) into the atmosphere and help your home garden to thrive. Investing in yet another gadget when you could compost the old-school way seems wasteful but the benefits far outweigh the cost:
1. Keep odours and bugs out of your home
Composting has long been a guilt-free way to recycle food scraps but for many, the hassle and stench is not worth it. There is also the potential for a compost pile to attract worms and maggots or for the liquids from rotting foods to start leaking through compost bags. An electronic composter works within a matter of hours and eliminates odours so that you’ll never have to worry about bringing bugs or funny smells into your home.
2. Automatically – and quickly – compost organic materials
Unlike traditional methods of composting organic waste, composting devices are fast working, completing the entire compost process within a few hours at just a touch of a button. The iCompost, for example, turns all types of food waste – including coffee grounds, tea bags and eggshells into a dry, natural and nutrient-rich soil amendment that can be used in pot plants and gardens within five to six hours.
3. Save money, reduce noise and use less space
Compost machines also have low operating expenses and, depending on the type of machine you purchase, takes up very little space. Himkaar Singh, the creator behind the iCompost says that, in addition to helping people take responsibility for their waste, the design of the product is intentionally sleek, produces little to no noise (less than 60 decibels) and “sits comfortably next to your other kitchen devices” to make composting less of a chore.
4. Easy to use, easy to clean
With traditional compost heaps, there exists a threat of humans contracting diseases while using the compost, especially when it’s been sitting out for a while. With a compost device, many of which work at the push of a button, the compost produced has a longer shelf life while added features, such as the iCompost’s carbon-filter system and self-clean function, eliminates fungi, bacteria and other biological organisms for safer handling.
About The Compost Kitchen
The Compost Kitchen is working to improve soil health so that the water security of South Africa is improved. Soil, being a critical component of the water cycle, relies on organic matter to hold onto water, and The Compost Kitchen is working to return that organic matter to soil through organic waste. During this journey, they aim to demonstrate a more efficient way of managing waste while educating that waste has value so that other entrepreneurs can be inspired.
Writer : Zainab Slemang van Rijmenant