International Journal of Waste Resources

Food Waste Management through Composting and Animal Feed

¹Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Cardiff, Cardiff, United States
^*Correspondence: Michael Steve, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Cardiff, Cardiff, United States, Email:

Received: 04-May-2022, Manuscript No. IJWR-22-16864; Editor assigned: 09-May-2022, Pre QC No. IJWR-22-16864(PQ); Reviewed: 23-May-2022, QC No. IJWR-22-16864; Revised: 30-May-2022, Manuscript No. IJWR-22-16864(R); Published: 08-Jun-2022, DOI: 10.35248/2252-5211.22.12.470

Description

Food waste is a serious problem that deserves attention. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, Americans waste 30%-40% of food produced, at the retail and consumer levels. This is a serious problem because the value of food is estimated at $161 billion. The country leads the world in the amount of food wasted, and the reason is specified. Food is cheap in America, and there does not seem to be enough desire to educate people about the importance of managing food waste. Feed can be saved through composting and fodder.

Food recycling by composting

Composting is the process of breaking down organic matter where soil organisms recycle nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and other soil nutrients and turn them into humus. Composting is an inexpensive and easy way to get rid of leftovers and make them useful for other purposes.

Benefits of composting food

• Reduce waste;

• Reduce pressure on landfills;

• Prepare compost for future crops;

• Save money on buying land;

• Add nutrients to the soil;

• Promote better health for the community.

Process of composting food

Food composting is easy and requires very less time, depending on the system. There are many composting methods, but vermicomposting and compost are the most common. As for the vermicompost, a place outside of the house is required to dispose the waste. The worms will get through it, eat it, and then leave you with dark, dense compost in the bottom tray. Composting in the pit is for setting up new garden beds, simply placing organic kitchen scraps and waste in a trench or shallow pit and covering with soil then the anaerobic organisms in the soil will break down the materials within 4-10 months. The stacking method of compost is one of the simplest and most rewarding. They do not need any construction work simply pile compostable materials together and leave them in the air to allow them to continue to decompose. Trident is needed for quick composting technique, and also a spinning bin. The addition of crank and swivel means they can be rotated to speed up the decomposition process so useful manure is produced within two months.

Food recycling through animal feed

For centuries, animals have been fed with leftovers; people often keep their unfinished meal under the table for the dogs or cats. Food recycling through feed provides one of the best ways to tackle the world's food wastage.

Advantages of food recycling through animal feed:

• Reducing pressure on landfills;

• Farmers save money to buy animal feed;

• Reduce methane emissions from fruits and vegetables to reduce carbon emissions;

• Good for the economy.

Recycling of food waste into animal feed

Direct feeding to animals is a simple and easy method. People can donate food and leftovers to farmers, who will use it to feed their livestock. Animal owners can use some food to feed pigs, dogs as they are omnivores and can eat anything. However, many experts believe that feeding animals directly can lead to health problems. This can easily managed by ensuring that the feeding process is controlled. The U.S. Environmental protection agency encourages their citizens to contact their local solid waste management company for recycling of food waste as an animal feed, public health or agricultural extension agency. People need to determine what foods they want to offer and how often they will offer them. Food waste can be a serious problem for the modern world, but with determination country can overcome it.