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Coline Billon contributes to reducing air pollution by turning food waste into “black gold”
France’s Coline Billon – one of the finalists of the Young Champions of the Earth prize of the United Nations Environment Program – came up with a new initiative aiming at turning food scraps into “black gold”, thus reducing air pollution resulting from burning food waste.
Billon, a 28-year-old French girl, found out that one third of all food produced globally is wasted every year and its disposal often contributes to air pollution, generating unnecessary emissions, in addition to representing wasteful practices.
She also found that, globally, about 40 percent of waste – including food – is openly burned. When incinerated, harmful toxins, furan and black carbon are released into the atmosphere.
Billon came up with the idea of using a bicycle trailer to collect organic waste from restaurants and offices in the French city of Nantes. This waste is then composted locally to benefit urban and peri-urban agriculture (and farmers).
The project combines several environmental objectives that support a sustainable, less polluted, more autonomous city, and better soil protection. It’s an easy and previously untapped solution for managing organic waste in densely populated areas at the community level. The project aims to strengthen the links between urban and rural areas, and between people and their plates, in order to promote responsible consumption.
The project creates jobs, benefits citizens, businesses and institutions alike, and can be replicated elsewhere. It has quickly proven its worth and has united the community by addressing several important issues: food and nutrition, waste, urbanism and transport.
UN Environment’s Sustainable Lifestyles Program Officer, Garrette Clark, says: “Food waste is a key climate challenge and something we can all do something about. Wasting food has carbon impacts from the disposal as well as from the growing, processing and distribution perspective. Raising awareness and showing that change is possible it a critical first step.
“In addition to buying what’s needed locally, buy sustainably produced food, learn about practices and labels, talk about healthy and sustainable food with vendors and producers. Start an urban garden, school garden or kitchen garden. It is critical to support organizations, policies, programs and people that promote more sustainable food systems.”
Unsatisfied with the status quo, Billon decided to start tackling food waste herself. Now, she is cycling around Nantes to find inedible food scraps and turn them into “black gold”—a rich compost allowing local farmers, gardeners and supermarkets to supply nutritious foods.
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