WASTE WATCHERS BLOG

What if we told you that instead of tossing your lunch scraps into the garbage can at your office, you could recycle them into something that saves money, improves employee morale, and helps the environment? The EPA estimates that 63.1 million tons of food waste were generated in 2018. More than half of that was sent to landfills where it does not break down well and releases huge amounts of methane. The EPA believes food waste is having a major impact on global warming.

In the last few years, restaurants and bars that managed to keep afloat were battling one thing: COVID-19. As we rapidly move toward a post-pandemic future, there’s a new set of challenges: sustainability. There is a rising interest for restaurants to be more sustainable, which includes composting, using environmentally friendly takeout containers, and more.

As garden and farmer’s market season approaches, you may have some renewed interest in composting. The benefits of food waste may stretch far beyond growing veggies. There’s a growing interest from many states across the country in turning compost and wastewater into Biogas and Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) for fuel.

Between food scraps and convenience-based shortcuts, the holidays heighten waste production more than any other time of year. But, by following a few simple tips for waste reduction and recycling, you’ll have the opportunity to make sustainability a Thanksgiving tradition.

  To many, Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season—a time for togetherness, cheer… and, unfortunately, 25% more U.S. waste generation than any other time in the year. Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, Americans send an additional one million pounds of trash to landfill every week. And not to be overshadowed by the December celebrations, convenience-factor flatware choices, inevitable spill cleanup, and a feast’s worth of food scraps have made Turkey Day increasingly wasteful.  But, it doesn’t have to be.  By following a few simple tips for waste reduction and recycling, you’ll have the opportunity to make sustainability a Thanksgiving tradition.

It's estimated that 30–40% of our food supply is wasted or lost each year, impacting everything from food security and the environment to businesses and our economy. Luckily, businesses large and small can implement food waste reduction strategies and help make a positive impact!

This post was originally published March 2020 and has been updated.

Instead of letting scraps go to waste, businesses have the opportunity to compost their organics to create nutrient-rich, healthy soil. To give you the full run-down on composting, we’ve put together a guide that answers the most commonly asked composting questions and provides tips to help you get started right away. Read on to learn more!

  Did you know the United States leads the world in food waste? Every year in the U.S, the EPA estimates that approximately 31 percent (133 billion pounds) of the overall food supply is wasted. Instead of letting scraps go to waste, businesses have the opportunity to compost their organics to create nutrient-rich, healthy soil that businesses can use for their own agricultural purposes like animal feed or fertilizer, donate to another business, or recycle through composting. More than that, composting is a great approach for businesses that are looking for a sustainable way to save valuable resources, divert more waste from landfill, and reduce waste costs overall. To give you the full run-down on composting, we’ve put together a guide that answers the most commonly asked composting questions and provides tips to help you get started right away.

Every year, the United States throws out nearly 133 billion pounds of food, and supermarkets throw out around 10% of it. Learn how smarter collection systems can ensure the grocery industries materials are recycled efficiently.

  Every year, the United States throws out nearly 133 billion pounds of food, and supermarkets throw out around 10% of it. When businesses in the grocery industry don't have efficient recycling programs in place, their food waste becomes heavy and expensive to throw away as trash and can contaminate other materials when they're mixed together. In our post, we will uncover why the grocery industry sends significant amounts of recyclable and compostable materials to landfill, and identify how smarter collection systems can ensure their materials are recycled efficiently and correctly.

In our newest post, we discover the importance of reducing food-waste and how restaurants are benefiting from composting!

  According to the EPA, over 36 million tons of food waste reaches landfill every year in the United States. As food purveyors tasked with estimating consumer appetites, restaurants experience first-hand just how much food is wasted on a daily basis. Luckily, many businesses in the food industry are putting their scraps to good use by composting, and the benefits of the organic process stretch beyond the environment and directly to their bottom line.