Recycling: Composting and More

Disposing of inedible food and organic scraps using environmentally sensitive options that recover nutrients or energy—feeding animals, composting, industrial uses, and anaerobic digestion—is always preferable to sending them to the landfill.

CHAPTER 8

Recycling: Composting and More

EXCESS FOOD CAN BE A RESOURCE

Diverting food waste from the municipal solid waste stream is one of the most effective ways to achieve Zero Waste goals. Disposing of inedible food and organic scraps using environmentally sensitive options that recover nutrients or energy—feeding animals, composting, industrial uses, and anaerobic digestion—is always preferable to sending them to the landfill.

In 2017 alone, almost 41 million tons of food waste were generated in the United States, with only 6.3% diverted from landfills and incinerators for composting.

FEEDING ANIMALS

Farmers have been doing this for centuries. With proper and safe handling, anyone can donate food scraps to animals. Food scraps for animals can save farmers and companies money. Operators can work with local vendors who supply them with eggs, meat, dairy, and other animal proteins. It is often cheaper to feed animals food scraps rather than having them hauled to a landfill. Excess food can also be donated to zoos or producers that make animal or pet food. To get started:

Understand legal issues and local regulations
To donate, contact your local solid waste, county agricultural extension office, or public health agency for information
Determine what types, how often, and the amount of food scraps you can provide

COMPOSTING

Composting food and compostable packaging (such as soiled paper and compostable plastics such as PLA) can produce a valuable soil amendment that can be used on-site or sold for agriculture, landscaping, or horticultural purposes. Food scraps can either be hauled off-site or composted on-site, if resources (including money, space, and staff) are available. Many haulers offer compostable material collection at a discounted rate compared to regular trash collection. Follow these steps:

1. Contact your current waste hauler to see if they offer organic material collection or find a local composter.

2. Contact the local or state environmental agency to find a hauler or learn more details about composting on-site.

3. Train staff to properly sort compostable materials. Signage can help both staff and patrons sort material properly.

INDUSTRIAL USES

Fats, oil, and grease (FOG), such as fryer oil, can be used to make biodiesel and other consumer goods. Consider these options:

Contact a local biodiesel club or manufacturer—search online for town, county, or local university biodiesel clubs to find out if they accept used fryer oil as feedstock
Locate a nearby rendering facility—most companies provide storage barrels and free pick-up service

More food reaches landfills and incinerators than any other single material in our everyday trash—an estimated 22% of discarded municipal solid waste.

ANAEROBIC DIGESTION

Diverting wasted food to anaerobic digestion can generate renewable energy (biogas) and create a valuable soil amendment. Foodservice operations can partner with wastewater treatment plants, waste haulers, dairies, or municipalities to process their wasted food off-site at an anaerobic digestion facility. Similar to a composting program, staff need to be properly trained to sort digestible materials. Proper signage can help staff during this transition.

OPERATOR SPOTLIGHT
Green Star Schools, a partnership between Eco-Cycle and school districts in the Boulder, CO, area, has developed a new way of dealing with lunch leftovers. Instead of dumping food scraps, plastic utensils, and excess packaging into a trash can after lunch, kids use a special station where they deposit reusable serviceware such as bowls and cups into hot, soapy water to be washed and reused; milk and juice containers into a recycling bin; and sandwich crusts, banana peels, other food leftovers, and nonrecyclable paper such as napkins into a compost bin. Kids who bring lunch from home are encouraged to bring a waste-free meal, replacing packaging-intensive foods with alternatives such as cloth lunch bags, cloth napkins, reusable utensils, and reusable or recyclable drink and food containers.
_{Source: Eco-Cycle}

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