Monthly Archives: July 2007

Theft Wastes Food

I can’t think of an odder or sadder reason for wasted food than this: this weekend, metal thieves stole copper piping from refrigerators at Indiana’s largest food bank. This is front page news in Indianapolis, as Gleaners food bank had to throw away $464,000 of food that spoiled after spending the weekend without refrigeration. Among the items lost: 3,482 […]

July 31, 2007 | Posted in Food Recovery | Comments closed

Making a list and checking it twice

Americans don’t eat about 25 percent of what they bring into their home. (That number comes from an interview I did with William Rathje, the former director of the University of Arizona’s Garbage Project.) How do we waste a quarter of the food we bring home? A decent chunk of that comes from buying too […]

July 30, 2007 | Posted in Household, Stats, Supermarket | Comments closed

Eating Disorders and Waste

I imagined writing a breezy, Friday-friendly post, but this entry on eating disorders sparked my interest. Karen Koenig, an expert in the psychology of eating, writes that people can’t change their unhealthy eating practices without first changing their underlying beliefs about food/body/weight. (I have a similar belief that people won’t stop wasting food until they change their attitude about […]

July 27, 2007 | Posted in History and Culture | Comments closed

U.K. A.D.

Anaerobic digestion getting a boost in Britain. The recycling advocate WRAP has pushed for the widespread adoption of the process that converts food waste (and anything organic) into energy. WRAP, or Waste & Resources Action Programme, has called for the installation of more digesters to process excess food. use of the process. It is now running […]

July 26, 2007 | Posted in Energy, International, Waste Stream | Comments closed

Waikiki Worms

Every restaurant, not matter how careful, produces some food waste. Sometimes it originates in the kitchen due to overordering, overpreparing or the inevitable peels and scraps. Often, it comes from the dining room, where diners return half-eaten plates. One way or another, restaurant dumpsters end up full of wet, heavy organic waste. Some of it was edible when discarded (as freegans well know), […]

July 25, 2007 | Posted in Composting, Restaurant, Waste Stream | Comments closed

Containing Compost

With Seattle’s mandatory food waste recycling a scant 20 months away, folks there have begun to contemplate how to store their food scraps in the kitchen before curbside dumping. In other words, what kind of container works best. This problem isn’t unique to Seattle’s single family homes (the ones forced to compost in 2009). Home composters […]

July 24, 2007 | Posted in Household, Waste Stream | Comments closed

Seattle Separation

Seattle’s City Council passed an ordinance Monday requiring all single family homes to recycle their food scraps by 2009. I’m a bit late on this due to my vacation, but what kind of food waste blogger would I be if I didn’t pass along this news? My friends at The Seattle Times have all the details covered. And here’s […]

July 23, 2007 | Posted in Household, Waste Stream | Comments closed

R & R

I’ll be on vacation this week and won’t be posting. The beach rental where I’ll be staying doesn’t have Web access–a blessing and a curse–so I suppose I’ll have get some sun. Just know that I’ll be doing my best to finish off others’ hamburgers and hot dogs. Anything in the name of avoiding food waste.   Before I […]

July 15, 2007 | Posted in General | Comments closed

British food waste awaits

London borough leaders seem to be considering food waste collection. At an event organized by London Remade, a non-profit recycling consulting firm, London officials heard from the recycling coordinator of Preston, where 7,500 homes take part in household composting scheme, urged London to “jump in.” Here, here. We all know there’s plenty of bad English food just […]

July 13, 2007 | Posted in Household, International | Comments closed

Fancy Waste II

Yesterday’s post raised the question of whether Fancy Food Shows in different cities (there are three every year) donate their considerable amount of surplus food. Here’s a quick follow-up: The short answer is yes. The National Association for the Specialty Food Trades (NASFT), which organizes the Fancy Food Shows, coordinates donations at their events in Chicago (every spring) […]

July 12, 2007 | Posted in Food Recovery | Comments closed