March 30 marks the International Day of Zero Waste. This year's theme focuses on food waste, drawing attention to inefficiencies across the food system.

The United Nations estimates that around 1 billion tonnes of edible food is discarded annually, accounting for nearly one-fifth of available food and contributing about 8% to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

In his message, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated, "The world wastes far too much food. Every day, we throw away enough to prepare 1 billion meals – while letting 9% of humanity go hungry." He called for coordinated efforts to improve supply chains and drive systemic change toward more efficient and resilient food systems.

In Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, digital technologies have been embedded into solid waste management. A smart platform connects over 7,000 collection points, transport vehicles and treatment facilities in real time, enabling full-process monitoring of waste, including food waste.

The system improves sorting and recycling efficiency while providing data support to reduce waste.

Such practices have drawn international attention. China's Hangzhou, Sanya and Suzhou, along with Italy's Bologna, India's Varkala and some other cities were selected for the UN's "20 Cities Towards Zero Waste" initiative, recognized for progress in food waste reduction and organic waste management.

In cities such as Shanghai, kitchen waste is processed into biogas and organic fertilizer for energy and agricultural use. This reduces landfill and emissions while returning food waste to resource cycles.

This direction is also reflected in broader cooperation. At the Macao International Environmental Cooperation Forum and Exhibition, "low-carbon, zero-waste cities" was a key theme, with solutions such as smart floating wetlands demonstrating how ecological technologies can support water purification and habitat restoration while advancing circular resource use.

Addressing food waste involves both improving supply chain efficiency and rethinking resource cycles. Coordinated optimization across production, distribution and consumption is gradually turning waste reduction into a systemic and sustainable undertaking.

(Cover designed by CGTN's Qu Bo)