Growing up on a small farm, we didn’t waste a lot of food– as we’d cycle it around a lot. If we had food we weren’t going to eat because it was old or because we just weren’t going to finish it, we’d just throw it in the compost or in with the chickens to eat. But, when I do not have this convenience, I’m not sure if I can say the same about myself. Luckily at BC, we have compost bins in the dining halls, but not everywhere does: and, sometimes, if I’m in the city it is just more convenient to throw out my waste in many of the trash bins along the sidewalk.
But, do we waste so much food as a country because it is inconvenient or because we do not necessarily always have another option? If the sidewalk was covered in compost bins, would everyone be more inclined to compost rather than throw things away? Some places, like cities, I can understand why there is not, because of rodents and other issues that may arise from compost on every corner. But, if there were not trash cans every few feet on every sidewalk in the United States, would we be more aware of our food waste without the convenience of throwing every bit of trash away as immediately as we get it?
It is in part as systematic as it is conscience for us, as we are expected to throw away anything that is defective or doesn’t meet our high ideals, just as corporations do and as large-scale farms do. Our food system is made to waste significant portions of our food and it isn’t made to be conservative of our resources, which leads on to us having less care for our food. If you spent months growing plants in your garden, watering day and night, and worrying during every storm that they would make it through, I think that you would be less eager to throw anything in the trash. As someone who grows many vegetables and fruit in a garden every year, I can certainly say this is true to the food that I grow. Yet, despite this, I can still say that I waste food a little too much, like everyone else. Whether this is a systematic fix that needs to be made or a personal alteration, I’m not sure, but it’s definite to say that we as a country need to work on our waste practices, whether food, plastic, or anything else.