Sustainable Management of Horticultural Waste
Bharti Gautam *
Department of Agriculture, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be University), Mullana-133207, Ambala, Haryana, India.
Neha Negi
Department of Agriculture, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be University), Mullana-133207, Ambala, Haryana, India.
Babita Bharti
Department of Agriculture, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be University), Mullana-133207, Ambala, Haryana, India.
Jag Mohan
Department of Agriculture, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be University), Mullana-133207, Ambala, Haryana, India.
Devi Singh
Department of Agriculture, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be University), Mullana-133207, Ambala, Haryana, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Fruits and vegetables are the most commonly consumed food products among horticulture crops. There are major nutritional, financial, and environmental consequences associated with the large amount of peel waste produced by the fruit and vegetable-based industries and home kitchens. The need to guarantee nutrition security for a vast population is becoming a critical global issue, which is driving attention to production growth, quality enhancement, food safety assurance, and processing techniques. The majority of our daily food is made up of nutrient-dense horticultural crops. Depending on their nature and how they are processed, these products are ingested in various ways. The study aims to achieve sustainable management of horticultural waste. As a result, a lot of waste is produced in the kitchen, horticulture commodity supply chain, and processing sectors, which has resulted in substantial nutritional and financial losses as well as environmental pollution and a heavy landfill burden. It is clear that waste management has begun to attract public attention. As a result, questions have been raised about where waste is coming from and what can be done from both a top-down (government level) and bottom-up (consumer level) perspective. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity for the management of biodegradable waste. A significant portion of today's waste production comes from horticulture, which calls for efficient management and planning in order to account for the waste's potential for use as a resource. Yet, because they are a rich source of various phytochemicals and bioactive substances, these wastes demonstrated remarkable potential for repurposing in a variety of businesses. Therefore, thorough research into sustainable extraction techniques and utilization strategies is warranted. The alternatives for generating horticultural waste, sustainable recycling techniques, and the potential of recycled products in many industries for population improvement with the guarantee of a green environment and sustainable ecology are all illustrated in this review article. Therefore, there is an urgent need for good understanding and efficient waste implementation in the modern world. By modifying contemporary disposal techniques with longer-lasting impacts and greater economic flexibility, sustainability can be achieved in the interim.
Keywords: Horticultural waste, environmental sustainability, biofuels, recycling, compost, waste