A Systems Approach To Secure Food, Good Health And A Healthy Environment

Urban areas are hot spots of consumption of products and disposal of waste. Societies have focused on access to food and goods, but today urbanisation forces them to engage in managing waste flows. In particular, to allow safe recovery and recycling of nutrients for agricultural usage in order to feed us all. Recycling presupposes reduction of harmful chemical substances and pathogens in waste in order to secure public and environmental health. Here, a five-step extended waste hierarchy is introduced to guide measures to be taken to reduce waste generation and to increase reuse and recycling. For instance, by substituting the mined phosphorus (P) in detergents and P in food and feed additives and reduce food waste over 40 % of currently used mined P can be saved. Another 15 to 30% can be recovered through reuse and recycling of solid and liquid organic waste. Such measures will make P almost limitless. Simultaneously, the secured food production will lead to reduced malnutrition and, together with a cleaner environment, to improved public health.