Food waste is the theme for 2026.
The United Nations reports the world is wasting food at an alarming scale which undermines food security and slows progress toward a zero-waste, circular future.
In 2022 alone, approximately 1 billion tonnes of food was wasted.
That’s nearly one-fifth of all food available to consumers.
Food loss and waste represent a major climate and environmental threat accounting for up to 10% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, nearly five times the emissions from the aviation sector, and up to 14 per cent of global methane emissions.
The UN says tackling food waste is among the most cost-effective and readily achievable climate solutions, aligned with zero-waste approaches that prioritize prevention, resource efficiency and systemic change.
Environment Canada offers some suggestions to reduce your food waste:
Reduce: Be sure to plan your meals before you shop so that you only buy what you can consume before it spoils and ends up in the garbage
Recover: Donate to food programs that help people in your community
Recycle: Participate in organic waste collection programs or start a composter in your backyard and use the Greenhouse Gas Calculator for Waste Management to estimate the reduced emissions that result
Learn more by visiting the Zero Waste Day website.
Comments