Food Waste Republic (as in, the Republic of Singapore) is a fabulous new project from three journalism students from the Asian island city-state. The site examines many facets of food waste through many mediums.
There’s an engrossing audio slideshow from a wholesale market, where workers estimate that 30 percent of vegetables are thrown away. And these self-described muckrakers–two writers and one photographer–earn that term with some hidden-camera bakery action. They even do some garbage sorting and data creating.
One of the writers contacted me, and I was happy to add my opinion. But, to be honest, I never thought they’d come up with anything as interesting as they have.
My one complaint is that I’m not wild about the tone on the Food Waste Police page, which gives everyone the chance to “report a culprit” by submitting a photo of waste. Still, at least that tactic will raise awareness.
There’s really a whole lot to enjoy here. While many of the themes are universal, you’ll learn something about Singapore, too. The site skips from cultural practices to environmental concerns, which are made all the more significant by the fact that 95 percent of Singapore’s food is imported. That’s one of many reasons to reduce waste.