OVERCONSUMPTION AND WASTE

Brazil is one of the countries which waste most food in the world - perhaps a harmful habit of a tropical country where "whatever you plant yields". It is estimated that half of food are wasted during handling; 30% is lost during harvesting and transport, 10% in supply centers and 10% in supermarkets and consumers' homes. In the image above, boxed melons in Supply Center (CEASA) in Irajá, in Rio de Janeiro, before being distributed at trade shows.

What reasons lead people to consume excessively, above their daily needs? The issue is complex, but the global capitalist society encourages overconsumption. Humanity needs now 1.5 planet to maintain its general consumption pattern. A quarter of the world population living in developed countries demand no less than three quarters of the planet's natural resources. Will we be able to combine sustainable consumption with quality of life, satisfaction and respect for the planet? Above, traders and customers in one of the busiest streets of downtown Rio.

In 2015 alone, 2,569,014 zero kilometer vehicles were licensed in Brazil. Their number has more than doubled in ten years. Out of circulation, older vehicles end up in junkyards. Have you ever imagined that cars can become outmoded as quickly as old cell phones? This is already a reality and can very likely become the new standard in the automotive industry. Car manufacturers are reducing the launch range of new generations of car models.

The generation of waste in Brazil has grown fivefold in relation to population growth from 2010 to 2014. With limited recycling actions carried out in municipalities, landfills receive many materials that could be reused. The Seropédica Waste Treatment Center in Rio receives 12,000 tons every day, from the capital and the cities of Seropédica and Itaguai. The results are huge mountains of waste - receiving environmentally appropriate treatment. Methane, highly polluting gas released by the decomposition of waste in the landfill, is drained to the "flares", a kind of chimneys where it is burned.