9.2 Fruit and Vegetable Waste
9.2.1 Generation and Characteristics of Fruit
and Vegetable Waste
About 1.3 billion tons of food that accounts for 32% of the total food produced for
human consumption across the whole food supply chain is lost and wasted every
year in the world (Du and Li 2016). The FVW, which account for the largest
proportion (45%) of the total lost and wasted food (Abubackar et al. 2019a), are
also generated in large quantities along with the entire food supply chain, from
production, processing to the consumption. According to the statistical data
published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), about 1.8, 6.5,
32, and 15 million tons of FVW are produced each year in India, the Philippines,
China, and the United States, respectively (FAO 2013). From the same information
source, it is reported that at least 15% of fruits and 25% of vegetables are wasted at
the bottom of the food supply chain globally (FAO 2014). Diverting our attention to
the FVW from households, approximately ten million tons of FVW are generated
every year in Japan alone (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Japan
2012). All the statistical data indicate that the FVW are a very important class of
wastes since they are produced in great amounts from all wholesale markets and
other activities in the world (Scano et al. 2014).
The characteristics of FVW can be highly variable depending on its source and
are closely dependent on the eating habits of consumers (Cerda et al. 2018). In
general, the FVW are characterized by high water content and rich biodegradable
organic substances (e.g., carbohydrates, lipids, and organic acids), normally with
water content about 90 and 85% (Edwiges et al. 2018; Li et al. 2020). Thi et al.
(2015) also reported that the FVW contains 74–90% of water and has a volatile solid
to total solid ratio (VS/TS) of 80–97% and a C/N ratio of 14.7–36.4. Edwiges and
Frare (2017) investigated the physical and chemical characteristics of FVW sampled
monthly during 1 year in Brazil, as summarized in Table 9.1. These characteristics
indicate that the FVW has a great potential for reuse, recycling, and recovery
(Plazzotta et al. 2017) and should be treated with proper methods.
9.2.2 Treatment Methods of Fruit and Vegetable Waste
The FVW is well-known as liquid and/or semi-liquid waste due to high water
content. These kinds of wastes are conventionally disposed by non-scientific
methods such as transported to landfill or incineration plants mixed with other
municipal solid waste (Liu et al. 2012). In most industrialized countries, incineration
is widely used to treat burnable municipal solid waste including FVW (Du and Li
2017). The exhaust gas and ash generated in incineration plant during burning have
serious dangerous effects on the human health and the environment (Cangialosi et al.
9 Vermicomposting Treatment of Fruit and Vegetable Waste and the Effect of the. . .
143
9.2.1 Generation and Characteristics of Fruit
and Vegetable Waste
About 1.3 billion tons of food that accounts for 32% of the total food produced for
human consumption across the whole food supply chain is lost and wasted every
year in the world (Du and Li 2016). The FVW, which account for the largest
proportion (45%) of the total lost and wasted food (Abubackar et al. 2019a), are
also generated in large quantities along with the entire food supply chain, from
production, processing to the consumption. According to the statistical data
published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), about 1.8, 6.5,
32, and 15 million tons of FVW are produced each year in India, the Philippines,
China, and the United States, respectively (FAO 2013). From the same information
source, it is reported that at least 15% of fruits and 25% of vegetables are wasted at
the bottom of the food supply chain globally (FAO 2014). Diverting our attention to
the FVW from households, approximately ten million tons of FVW are generated
every year in Japan alone (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Japan
2012). All the statistical data indicate that the FVW are a very important class of
wastes since they are produced in great amounts from all wholesale markets and
other activities in the world (Scano et al. 2014).
The characteristics of FVW can be highly variable depending on its source and
are closely dependent on the eating habits of consumers (Cerda et al. 2018). In
general, the FVW are characterized by high water content and rich biodegradable
organic substances (e.g., carbohydrates, lipids, and organic acids), normally with
water content about 90 and 85% (Edwiges et al. 2018; Li et al. 2020). Thi et al.
(2015) also reported that the FVW contains 74–90% of water and has a volatile solid
to total solid ratio (VS/TS) of 80–97% and a C/N ratio of 14.7–36.4. Edwiges and
Frare (2017) investigated the physical and chemical characteristics of FVW sampled
monthly during 1 year in Brazil, as summarized in Table 9.1. These characteristics
indicate that the FVW has a great potential for reuse, recycling, and recovery
(Plazzotta et al. 2017) and should be treated with proper methods.
9.2.2 Treatment Methods of Fruit and Vegetable Waste
The FVW is well-known as liquid and/or semi-liquid waste due to high water
content. These kinds of wastes are conventionally disposed by non-scientific
methods such as transported to landfill or incineration plants mixed with other
municipal solid waste (Liu et al. 2012). In most industrialized countries, incineration
is widely used to treat burnable municipal solid waste including FVW (Du and Li
2017). The exhaust gas and ash generated in incineration plant during burning have
serious dangerous effects on the human health and the environment (Cangialosi et al.
9 Vermicomposting Treatment of Fruit and Vegetable Waste and the Effect of the. . .
143