The process of collection, transport, disposal, recycling and monitoring of food and agricultural wastes is called food and agricultural waste management. Food and agricultural waste management can be costly so it is important to understand the various effective, sustainable and safe means of its management. The three points ‘R s “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle have become basic tenet in food and agricultural waste management due increase in generation of wastes, increasing in processing costs and decrease in available landfill space. There should be flexibility in food and agricultural waste management systems in light of changing environmental, social and economic conditions. To optimize, evaluate, adapt and define food and agricultural waste management systems, the information and feedback can be obtained from system analysis.
Presently, reducing food and agricultural waste has become the main agenda of many governments, NGOs, and other societies in many countries. Food and agricultural waste is nothing but remnants of our used stuff as vegetables, food stuff, animal waste etc. which people are practicing and reusing them daily by repurposing for their utility since ancient times. Due to modern urbanization and industrialization, the concept of repurposing has changed by new waste management and recycling technology invention, together with use and throw concept.
The reduction of food and agricultural wastes is placed at the top of waste management hierarchies because the best means waste management is to reduce waste by not creating it in first place. The reduction of food and agricultural waste can also be achieved through the reuse of products. The reduction and reuse of wastes save natural resources, reduces generation of wastes and reduces the cost associated with food and agricultural waste disposal.
Food and agricultural waste management is undertaken to recycling the wastes so as to reduce the ill effects of wastes on environment, health and aesthetics. The waste may be either in solid, liquid or gaseous form. The process of food and agricultural waste management varies for rural and urban areas, for municipal and industrial waste, for developed and developing nations. The management of municipal wastes is responsibility of local government while as the management of agricultural waste is the responsibility of farmers. The developed nations use various novel technologies to reduce the negative impacts of waste or use and effective management to exploit it.
Presently, world population are increasing day by day which creating a huge amount of food and agricultural waste which ends up in landfills, also can be re-purposed. The United Kingdom was the first country to introduce the law for food and agricultural waste management in due to health and hygienic issues in the civil society and cities areas. After this, the concept of dust-bin has became essential part of our life.