Collecting meals usually thrown out by hotels, restaurants and other establishments and distributing them to those who need them is the goal of ‘Zero Desperdício’ (Zero Waste) – an initiative the parish union of Lagoa and Carvoeiro is hoping to join.
Parish council chiefs recently travelled to Lisbon to meet with the president of the DariAcordar association – the founders of the movement – and discuss how and if it can be implemented in Lagoa and Carvoeiro.
‘Zero Desperdício’ was originally implemented in Loures and Lisbon in 2012, as a result of a protocol signed between a private social solidarity institution (IPSS), the local parish councils and DariAcordar. Since then, it has been adopted by four councils in Portugal.
“We already have a partnership with local bakeries and pastry shops to collect bread and cakes,” said the president of the Lagoa and Carvoeiro parish union Joaquim João. “But when we heard about the ‘Zero Desperdício’ movement, we decided we could take our social initiatives further and wanted to learn with those who know best.”
According to data from ‘Zero Desperdício’, around 360,000 people in Portugal suffer from hunger while approximately 50,000 meals are thrown away every day. That amounts to around one million tons of food ‘wasted’ each year.
