Towards a circular economy: Integration of food waste into urban agriculture and landscaping

Organic wastes associated with food in urban areas are of critical concern due to the economic costs and environmental impacts associated with transport and disposal. Food wastes could be converted into soil amendments for urban agriculture and landscaping, recycling nutrients, and improving urban resilience and sustainability. Organic wastes can be composted, to produce valuable soil conditioners and fertilisers, or bioconverted, to produce a wide range of products, as evidenced in later chapters. Alternatively, they can be recovered using thermal treatment converting biomass into biochar to amend problematic soils, improve water conservation and purity, decrease crop pollutant accumulation, and increase crop yield. Retaining proportion of organic wastes, potentially supplemented with inert wastes such as paper waste, will encourage and enhance the development of urban agriculture, as well as stimulate other contemporary urban initiatives such as green walls, rooftop farming, vertical farming, and community gardening. Benefits would also include both short- and longer-term utilisation, restoration, and re-activation of marginal, vacant, and derelict land. A more closed urban food cycle would improve food security, socio-economic, and health systems while also enhancing education and societal engagement with nature. Better food waste recycling in urban areas will support and build smart and sustainable urban living. Copyright © 2023 by World Scientific Publishing Europe Ltd.