I'm wondering if the food left on plates in restaurants is recycled. If not, why not? I'm imagining a pick-up service like regular waste disposal that takes uneaten food to a place where it's composted and/or distributed to farms, zoos or animal shelters (for feed). Is this already happening in San Francisco, for example?
Asked by Beatrice Q. Rector, '73, Springfield, Ore.
In the Essential Answer, we looked at some of the ways in which restaurants in the Bay Area recycle uneaten food. However, we shouldn't forget that our home food scraps also have a negative impact on the environment. According to the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States, the average American family throws away 477 pounds of food a year.
Food waste is generally directed to landfills, which provide a near-perfect methane-generation environment. If not properly constructed and maintained, they can also leak all sorts of organic and inorganic contaminants into the ground or nearby bodies of water. According to the Clean Air Council, a nonprofit environmental organization, 82% of landfill facilities had leaks in 2008, some as large as one square foot. And I probably don't have to point that along with polluting the environment, uneaten food is also smelly and unhygienic, as it attracts insects and rodents.
Does anyone feel a little wasteful? Luckily, there is much we can do to put our food scraps to use. (And no, the best option is NOT getting a dog, although I do know that some of them like to eat everything!)
So what can you do?
Compost your way to a healthy garden
One quick way to get rid of your food scraps is to simply bury them.
This is a great way to creatively reuse vegetables, cereals, breads, fruits and eggshells. Garden composting is not the best way to recycle meat, cheese, butter, or any other type of animal product . . . unless you want to become an open restaurant for all the dogs, cats, and other, possibly less innocuous creatures in your neighborhood.
Note: Bury your food scraps at least 8 inches deep into the ground, to prevent your garden from smelling like an open sewer! On a similar note, burying food scraps might not be the best option if you or your neighbors own a dog whose favorite hobby is digging holes in your garden.
Throw it into the compost bin (or make your own!)
Many cities offer curbside compost bins in which you can throw your organic waste.
If your area doesn't have a program for collecting organic compost, you can create your own compost bin! It might be a fun way to spend an afternoon with your loved ones and, as mentioned earlier, a great way to nourish your garden.
Worms are the answer?
If you are not intimidated by slimy, squiggly things, or if your kids are young and curious enough to be fascinated by insects, then worms are the way to go. Composting with worms is easy:
1: Simply purchase your bin or make your own, ensuring that it has a tight lid to protect the worms from pests (and your home from a worm invasion).
Note: The compost bin should also have drainage holes so that excess water doesn't stagnate in the bottom.
2: Get worms! You can either take them from a neighbor or buy them.
Note: The trick here is selecting the right type of worm, the red and chubby Eisenia Fetida, because the more common Lumbricus Terrestris (literally, earth worm), doesn't actually eat organic waste!
3: Feed your new pets.
Note: Worms should not be fed meat or other animal products. Also, although they like coffee beans and citrus (everyone has their vices,) you should be wary of feeding them large quantities of these food items, as an acidic environment might actually kill your worms.
Food Donations
Last but most certainly not least, giving uneaten food to the hungry helps both the environment and those who are less fortunate than us.
There are some limitations on which foods can be donated. For instance, the best donations are those that can be easily stored outside of a refrigerator, such as cookies and breads.
There are many organizations you can turn to, such as Feeding America, and a quick Internet search will allow you to find one close to your home.
Now that you know how to recycle your food in a smart and sustainable way, you will be able to reduce that elevator's worth of wasted food to the more manageable size of a chair, or—even better—to that of a chubby little worm.
Valentina Nesci earned her master's in journalism from Stanford in 2011.
