How do we currently consume?
More than 90 per cent of the products we buy are thrown out within six months of purchase.
Your eco-footprint is a calculation of the total impact of what you consume (in terms of the energy, water, waste, and hectares used). According to the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF), Australia has the fourth highest eco-footprint in the world, with almost 50% of this due to food. The residents of the City of Port Phillip consume resources equivalent to about 7.5 hectares per person, while the state average is 6.03 and the national average 6.4. If all countries used the same amount as Port Phillip residents, we would need at least three-and-a-half extra Earths right now!
According to the World Wildlife Fund's Living Planet Report 2008, our current global footprint exceeds the world's capacity to regenerate by about 30%. If our demands on the planet continue at the same rate, by the mid-2030s we will need the equivalent of two planets to maintain our current lifestyles.
How do we dispose of what we buy?
According to The Australia Institute:
- In 2004, the average Australian household wasted $1,226 on items purchased but unused. Total wasteful consumption amounts to over $10.5 billion spent each year on goods and services that are rarely or never used.
- In 2004, Australians threw away $2.9 billion worth of fresh food, $630 million worth of uneaten take-away food, $876 million worth of leftovers, $596 million worth of unfinished drinks and $241 million worth of frozen food; a total of $5.3 billion.
In 2008, the total food thrown away in Australia equalled about 145kg per person.
