Food waste on landfills are releasing deadly gasses into Mzansi’s atmosphere and having a negative impact on our carbon footprint. Experts reckon this is growing problem that not nearly enough people understand. But there is light at the end of the tunnel – GreenBinSA.
While reducing Mzansi’s deadly carbon footprint is important, it is not as easy as one would think. But thankfully there’s a smart initiative working hard to reduce Mzansi’s carbon footprint through their agribusiness called GreenBinSA.
This Farmer’s Inside Track podcast weekend edition features Sumitra Nydoo, an award-winning financial journalist, business correspondent for CGTN Africa and founder of GreenBinSA.
Nydoo explains that the aim of GreenBin SA is to keep food waste out of landfills.
“Once food gets into your trash, it ends up in landfills. It sits there and starts rotting. Now once food starts to rot it automatically gives off methane gas emission [which] is 25 times more harmful than carbon dioxide.”
How it works
GreenBin SA provides their clients – commercial, residential and farming – with free green bins. According to Nydoo, the bin holder’s only obligation is then to fill it up with their food scrap which they would throw in the trash.
“This is anything that cannot be eaten again. Instead of throwing it into the trash, we ask that you throw it into the green bin,” Nydoo says.
The bins, she explains, are then fetched by GreenBin SA. This happens either on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Once the food waste is collected, it goes through an organic process that breaks it down into compost.
However, reducing, reusing and recycling is not always as easy as it sounds. This is often the case when you don’t have space to recycle.
“People have little time, space and sometimes no capacity to do it,” Nydoo says. “This is what our business model is based on, providing the service and letting us help you to be environmentally friendly.”
Further in the podcast, Nydoo unpacks:
- The benefits to farmers and the agricultural sector;
- Understanding your carbon footprint;
- The impact of collecting food waste; and
- Challenges experienced
Want to know more? Listen to the full episode of Farmer’s Inside Track
Option 1: Click here to listen on Spotify (all mobile and other devices).
Option 2: Click here to listen on any Apple device.
Option 3: Click here to listen on Google Podcasts.
Sign up for Farmer’s Inside Track: Join our exclusive platform for new entrants into farming and agri-business, with newsletters and podcasts.
