Close-up: Overconsumption & Waste

Did you know that we waste about 40% of the food that is grown?

A lot of climate issues tie back to overconsumption. To attack this vast problem simply, I am going to take three simple examples that you can probably relate to in your daily life.

Firstly, let’s take the example of teens, or even adults, buying sugary treats after school or work. In this action, there are many negatives: the treats they buy are almost certainly wrapped in single-use plastic and more importantly, they probably aren’t really hungry. This action does not need to be completely stopped, its frequency just has to be considerably decreased. In truth, this example is a real problem because it is performed practically every day, meaning a huge amount of plastic and resources are put into these treats. Start by slowly reducing your consumption: buy for example only a treat every other day, and you will soon realise you can live without these treats just fine, though we can all agree they are delicious

→ Little exception: If you cannot reduce your habit, try at least to buy sweets that are wrapped in cardboard or eco-friendly materials ;))

Secondly, let’s take a look at the subject connected to the first sentence of this article — food waste. In fact, an area larger than China is used to grow food that is never eaten. The disturbing fact in this issue is that, in most developed countries, like the UK, over half of all food waste takes place in homes. It is performed practically everyday by many. Its two main origins are not finishing your plate, or buying too much food in one go and some ends up expiring. The problem with food waste is that a huge amount of resources are wasted to produce food that does not provide energy to a human being. This leads to the necessity of producing more food in order to cover the energy needed by each individual. Food waste is a massive, massive problem. We find ourselves in a vicious circle that will not stop unless our behaviours regarding food changes drastically.

The solutions to this problem are extremely simple, so simple parents tell them to their toddlers. Firstly, you need to finish your plate at every single meal under any circumstance. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it. You also need to be aware of the expiration date of the products you buy, and beware of not buying too much food in one go. Lastly, and this step comes after you have completed the first two, you need to encourage your community to do the same. Food waste is a massive issue we can solve if we all individually stopped throwing food away.


Finally, let’s take an extremely relatable example: festive periods. Whether it is Christmas, Easter, Halloween, birthdays or any other celebrations you might practice, festive periods are a moment where you do three things: you consume, you consume more and then you consume again. Essentially, festive periods bring the need to buy gifts and often, these gifts are not really needed. Whether it is the newest iPhone that just came out (when you already have one that is in perfect condition), or a new pair of shoes (when you already have 4 pairs in your closet), or it’s nearly always unnecessary.


Now, I am not saying you should stop buying gifts for your friends and family during festive times completely — I am just saying that you could ask yourself if you really need the product you are asking for, and to realise blatant acts of overconsumption. This point also links to food waste — a huge amount of resources are used to produce things that aren’t really necessary. To solve this matter, it is very easy: you just need to ask yourself a bit more questions when you buy a product.

To conclude, you need to start consuming and wasting less. However, that does not mean you have to cut all sources of pleasure from your life, it just means you have to be more careful and diligent when you consume, by asking yourself the right questions.

©️https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1305011/hong-kong-must-kick-its-bad-habit-overconsumption

Written in September 2021 © Your Green Footprint