It鈥檚 time to address the elephant in the room. I鈥檇 barely begun, when a voice trumpeted out: 鈥淗ey, who are you calling an elephant?鈥�
Two separate movements here on the coast aim to reduce the amount of waste we produce. We鈥檙e heard a lot about the Reduce Plastic Waste movement. Grassroots campaigns to ban single-use plastic bags and plastic straws have been spreading from community to community.
The federal government gave it a further boost in June when it announced it would move toward banning single-use plastics in sa国际传媒 鈥� possibly within two years 鈥� depending, of course, on October鈥檚 election results.
I was interrupted again: 鈥淩ight. Now about those plastics. 鈥︹��
The Reduce Food Waste campaign has also been gaining momentum. According to a January report by Value Chain Management International, more than half the food produced in sa国际传媒 every year is wasted. More than one-third of thatwaste 鈥� 11 million tonnes 鈥� is avoidable, with almost $50 million of usable groceries ending up in landfills, composting facilities or other disposal sites. Canadian kitchens account for 21 per cent of that avoidable waste, costing each household in the country about $1,700聽each year.
According to a study published this March, more than 1,200 households surveyed in London, Ont., reported throwing out avoidable food waste 4.77聽times a week, on average, and 5.89聽food portions each week, also on average. British Columbia households probably aren鈥檛 much different.
Other studies show different overall numbers, but all of the numbers suggest a lot of food that is still edible is being trashed.
But there鈥檚 an elephant in the room here, and we need to address it.
鈥淗ello! I鈥檓 right here!鈥�
It鈥檚 green 鈥�
鈥淭hank you.鈥�
鈥� and it鈥檚 actually a cucumber.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I was trying to say when you kept interrupting me. I only look like a sick elephant.鈥�
And it鈥檚 dressed in shrink wrap.
鈥淵es, well, as I was saying. 鈥︹��
You鈥檝e seen cucumbers like this in the grocery store. Boxes and boxes of long English cucumbers, each individually shrink-wrapped in single-use plastic. It鈥檚 crazy-making, isn鈥檛 it? Why on earth are we shrink-wrapping cukes? In plastic? In plastic that goes from cucumber to the garbage? Really? What鈥檚 next? Shrink-wrapped grapes?
鈥淲ell, o-holier-than-thou! Look at your here-today-throw-out-tomorrow clothing! How much water was drained from the Colorado River to grow the cotton in that shirt? How many tonnes of diesel fumes were added to atmosphere to harvest the cotton, bale it, and ship it across the ocean to Asian sweatshops? And your fleece jacket 鈥� hello! microplastics! And聽those form-fitting jeggings? They鈥檙e plastic shrink wrap for human legs!鈥�
Well, it turns out that there鈥檚 a very good reason to shrink-wrap a cuke. It extends the cuke鈥檚 shelf life in the grocery store by as many as 15 days.
鈥淥h. Oh. Well, yes, it does.鈥�
That鈥檚 15 extra days before the big, elephant-shaped cucumber in the room starts to turn feculent and slimey.
鈥淗别测!鈥�
And it鈥檚 not just cucumbers that shrink-wrap saves from the curbside organics-recycling bin. Food engineers and researchers are looking into how to extend the storage and shelf lives of many different fruits 鈥� all in an effort to help reduce spoilage and waste from farm to supermarket to table.
For example, shrink wrap can extend a peach鈥檚 peachy complexion, colour, taste, nutrients and texture by up to nine days. Cling- and shrink-wrap allows guavas to last an extra 10 days near their peak of yumminess, and it can extend the storage lives of mangoes by five weeks and of pomegranates by three months. Shrink-wrap treatment keeps even zucchini out of the compost bin for longer.
As for grapes 鈥� yes, they too benefit from plastic packaging. The expandable, zippered polystyrene bags that grapes often come in these days increase the fruits鈥� shelf life to 120 days, compared to less than 10 days without it. That鈥檚 110聽extra days for you to peel and feed grapes to your sweetie.
That said, we usually see only cucumbers in shrink-wrap in local stores.
Using plastic packaging 鈥� often single use 鈥� helps us reduce food spoilage and waste.
鈥淎nd helps me maintain my firm, youthful cucumber complexion for an extra two weeks.鈥�
And that contradiction is the real elephant in the room.
