Waste

The videos, on TV and on the Web, of good food being dumped by supermarkets are a revolting sight. They are all the more revolting to those of my generation and older who remember rationing and a culture of "waste not, want not".  Yet we are told that the average consumer is a worse culprit than the stores. Apparently, Brits dump 65 kg of a food a year, while the average for a Rwandan is 1 kg. The US is even worse, being responsible for 95 kg of uneaten food per annum.

"Display until" and "use by" dates I have always treated as a guide and not a prescription. My nose and eyes are the final arbiters of a food item's edibility.

Now DEFRA in conjunction with Love Food, Hate Waste and others is intent on driving down food waste in this country. Yesterday's announcement is linked with a V&A exhibition opening this weekend.

Plastic

The prevalence of plastic waste was highlighted by the revelation that human-created detritus was found at the bottom of the Marianas Trench, in a record-breaking exploration by submersible. 

This comes on top of Which? reporting that there is as yet no completely satisfactory way of recycling Nespresso-style coffee capsules.