Emma Dalton-Brown, Contributor

A grand day at the beach. - photo by Emma Sharp

This is the first in a three-part series on food safety, shortage and security.

Last week, I viewed Gerry Ruecker's installation, 'A Grand Day at the Beach', part of Kingston on the Edge urban art festival. I had been looking for a third topic of the food series I am writing, and the moment I saw this, I knew I'd found it.

Ruecker, a Canadian living in Jamaica, is "disappointed" and "shocked" that this beautiful island has been saddled with so much litter. In three hours, divided between two visits, he collected eight garbage bags and one box of garbage on the ocean side of the Palisadoes close to Norman Manley International Airport. Each item had been 'cleaned' by the sun, sea and wind. It was frightening to see all that plastic which he placed on the ground of the maze-like feature, forcing patrons to walk over it. To one side was a television broadcasting the view and sound of breaking waves, and on the other, one displaying an "overwhelming" quantity of 'fresh' garbage from the harbour side, both filmed by David Morrison.

Why is this relevant to us? It is our garbage, and much of it includes the packaging of our food and drink. Have you ever stopped to think about how many plastic bags we carry out of a supermarket, what our take-away meals come in, how much plastic wrap or tin foil we use to cover food, or the number of juice boxes and soft drink bottles we get through?

Individuals have no control over what the perishables we consume are sold in. However, we have a responsibility to do our part in saving the environment. On countless occasions, I have bought one or two items, like milk and cereal, in the supermarket and told the cashier that a bag is not necessary. They all stare at me in disbelief. They just don't seem to get it.

Places of business within the food sector could be more eco-friendly (if only money wasn't a factor). Gone are the days of returning soda bottles in exchange for cash. So while some people did leave their glass on the side of the street, others made their living off collecting and returning this type of trash. What if companies were to charge an extra J$5 on each plastic bottle that customers would earn, would they return them? Imagine how much litter would be missing from our beaches then?

Charge for plastic

In Ireland, Germany, China and New Zealand, there is a charge for every plastic shopping bag in the supermarkets, and in Bangladesh and Bhutan, they are banned, due to the fact that they block drains and cause flooding. On average, four bags of my groceries actually amount to 15 plastic bags, taking into consideration that provisions like onions, carrots, herbs, etc, are each in a separate transparent plastic bag. I carry canvas totes with me now, and so should you.

Space does not allow me to write about how our daily consumption negatively affects the ecosystem. I hope that I have inspired you to consider the consequences and do your bit for the trash on food.

Practical Solutions:

1. Store food in reusable containers rather than covering with plastic wrap and foil.

2. Clean up spills with rags, not paper towels.

3. Shop with sturdy reusable bags.

4. Don't use disposable roasting pans, styrofoam or plastic plates, paper napkins, plastic utensils or cups. Buy ones that can be washed and reused.

5. Go to restaurants that don't present food on disposable plates, etc. Avoid doing 'take-away' as much as you can, so as to minimise garbage.

6. Start a home-compost - a plastic bin in which you place organic waste, which can be formed into a compost pile in your garden. Communities could create a place for everyone's organic waste. Compost will make your garden fertile, where plants will be healthy and strong. No more fertilisers or chemical pesticides will be needed!

7. When cooking, ensure that your pot sizes match those of the burners. Forty per cent of a burner's heat can be lost if the pan is smaller.

Have a point to make or discuss? E-mail emma@sharpactionfood.com.