Tag Archives: food waste

Do Those Veggie Scraps Mean Anything?

It has been a busy few days for food waste on the National media Public Radio front. First, Marketplace had this look at the Economics of Wasted Leftovers. Then, Talk of the Nation ran an in-depth conversation about waste (which included my perspective). Next, Morning Edition examined why restaurants don’t prioritize food waste in a […]

November 29, 2012 | Posted in Restaurant | Comments closed

Stick a Fork In It

Thanks to everyone who strived for a Zero Waste Thanksgiving. And if that describes you, then you’ll appreciate this video:

November 27, 2012 | Posted in General | Comments closed

Baste, Taste, then Don’t Waste

This Thanksgiving, America will throw away more than 400 Statue of Liberty’s worth of turkey (by weight).  Based on estimates, we’ll discard 203 million pounds of turkey, at a cost of $282 million. That’s fowl. — Thanksgiving is about being thankful for and celebrating abundance. Yet these days, we tend to do that by serving an […]

November 21, 2012 | Posted in History and Culture, Household | Comments closed

Putting the Green in Green Mountain State

Vermont towns are starting to sift through a recent law enacted that will change how they interact with waste. Through a series of steps to begin in 2015, Act 148 (lawyerese full text) will revolutionize the state’s approach to trash. As explained in this simplified version on page 9-10, the bill will require residents to […]

November 13, 2012 | Posted in Waste Stream | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Food is too cheap, according to the head of Unilever, which prompts much waste in the developed world. Yes, but…there are still so many who don’t get enough to eat. Meanwhile, in that same article, we learn that Londoners waste half the food they buy. — — Not to be outdone, the entire country of […]

November 9, 2012 | Posted in College, International, Supermarket | Comments closed

Sandy Summary

There’s a difference between waste and loss. But no matter what we call it, East Coasters have discarded a whole lot of food in the last week as a result of Sandy. There’s the in-home loss caused by not having power or a back-up generator. Restaurants also experience the that problem, but one Manhattan eatery […]

November 5, 2012 | Posted in Environment, Food Safety, Waste Stream | Comments closed

Waste Weigh Debrief

On Friday, I oversaw a waste weigh at Bucknell University. I updated Friday’s post with the results, but I want to provide more context. Here goes… The logistics: students scraped their plate remains into a clear container atop a large scale. This waste weigh setup was just in front of the plate return belt, making […]

October 22, 2012 | Posted in College, Personal | Comments closed

Waste Weigh Friday

I’ve spent this past week at Bucknell University. I gave a campus talk, guest lectured in a variety of classes and met with professors and students. It has been an engaging, fun few days. But the main participatory activity of the visit takes place today at lunch, when we’ll hold a waste audit in the main […]

October 19, 2012 | Posted in College | Comments closed

Food *Waste* Revolution?

Fresh off tackling obesity, Jamie Oliver will now turn his attention to food waste with his next TV project. At least that’s what his pal, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, he of the valiant Fish Fight campaign, announced for at a recent press conference. It’s not clear whether this would be on US or UK television, but I’d bet on […]

October 17, 2012 | Posted in College, History and Culture, International | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Exciting news: the National Restaurant Association announced a partnership with the US Composting Council. We shall see what comes from this collaboration, but at first glance it seems like a major step in the right direction. I like the second item the best: “We are pleased to join with the US Composting Council to better […]

October 12, 2012 | Posted in Composting, Restaurant, Waste Stream | Comments closed