Zero Waste News: New App to Reduce Food Waste & E-Waste Management
Hey there!
We have gathered our favorite stories on advances and innovation in the State of Waste to bring you the tea on ones we love from the last two weeks:
Meijer Announces Rollout of Flashfood App to all 256 Stores in the US for Food Waste Reduction
The Flashfood app allows eco and budget-conscious shoppers to order food that is close to its sell-by date at a discounted price. Major food retailer Meijer has announced that it will continue its rollout of the app to 256 stores in the Midwest after seeing a 10% reduction in in-store food waste when they piloted the project in 2019.
In the US, around 40% of food is wasted - approximately 125 to 160 billion pounds of food – when it is still perfectly edible. Less than 5% is composted and the other 95%+ goes to landfills.
Food security issues and wasted agricultural resources aside, food waste in landfills breaks down to form methane, a potent greenhouse gas that can be more damaging than carbon dioxide.
Individual changes in everyday activities, like grocery shopping, make a huge impact at scale. We love that mutually beneficial options to reduce food waste are becoming more accessible and convenient!
Repairable, Upgradable, Smartphones Made from E-waste
E-waste is a huge issue, globally, and smartphones are one of the biggest contributors. As circular economies and right-to-repair movements gain traction, some are re-thinking the constant obsolesce and upgrade cycle we’re all stuck in with our phones.
Fairphone, a German smartphone manufacturer, is making smartphones from recycled e-waste. The phones are designed to be easily repairable. Their modular design allows individual components to be upgraded. Want a better camera? Upgrade the camera module and keep the rest of the phone.
Their prolonged lifespan, recovery program, use of recycled materials, and Fairtrade components makes them a great example of what the future will look like for electronics and e-waste reduction!
Soon we can all use our recycled and repaired smartphones to buy discounted food, so it won’t go to waste, on the regular.
What do you think? Will you be making the shift?
We love your feedback so let us know!
Best,
Liza and Johanna