During the Lunar New Year, the Environment Ministry’s Environmental Management Administration (EMA) is promoting a new initiative to reduce food waste and create a more sustainable holiday season. The campaign encourages families to be mindful of portion sizes when cooking at home or dining out.
According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) guidelines, the priority should be reducing waste at its source and donating excess food to food banks. Secondary options include converting food scraps into animal feed or industrial uses, followed by anaerobic digestion for energy recovery and composting, with landfill disposal or incineration as a last resort.
The EMA reports that its current food waste processing methods are well diversified. Composting accounts for 48.6% of processing, animal feed conversion for 41.3%, energy generation through anaerobic digestion for 8.7%, and alternative methods like black soldier fly processing for 1.4%. These efforts help reduce the burden on incineration facilities and promote better environmental health.
As families gather to celebrate, the EMA reminds citizens that the Lunar New Year presents an opportunity to demonstrate environmental stewardship. They encourage households to properly sort and drain food waste before disposal properly, ensuring efficient processing and contributing to a more meaningful and environmentally conscious celebration.