Category Archives: Waste Stream

Gulf Coast Sustainable Food Plan Addresses Waste

In the wake of recent disasters, the Mississippi Gulf Coast communities came together to create a plan for sustainability. One aspect of the plan centers on food and one particular document provides a Recipe for a Sustainable Coast. That study, much to my delight, lists the amount of wasted food as a major obstacle to […]

October 19, 2011 | Also posted in Composting, Energy, Environment | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

California, not content with having achieved the goal set in 1989 of recycling 50 percent of its waste stream, just passed a bill requiring the state to keep 75 percent of its trash out of the landfill. Way to set the bar high, Cali! — — The Occupy Wall Street gang gets plenty of donated […]

October 14, 2011 | Also posted in Friday Buffet, Household, International, Supermarket | Comments closed

Follow That Trash!

Because we could all stand to learn a little more about where our trash goes… (In other words, about landfills)

August 8, 2011 | Posted in Waste Stream | Comments closed

Friday Double Feature: Local News Embed

After seeing so much food going to waste at their school and learning about a law preventing donation of that food, two Houston boys have set out to change it! Hopefully the Houston Independent School District does decide to allow students more choice in what lunch items they take. And just seeing the footage of […]

July 1, 2011 | Also posted in School | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Great news from the bottom of the food waste hierarchy: Waste Management has invested in a composting company. They’ve been sniffing around the idea for a while, so it’s encouraging to see them invest in it. — — Mary Baldwin College of Virginia reduced waste by 60% during their Sustainable Meal Week! Really shows how much […]

May 6, 2011 | Also posted in College, Composting, Freegan, Friday Buffet, International | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Walmart recently announced that their California stores have reduced what they send to the landfill by 80 percent (since 2009). Food donations, composting and anaerobic digestion all play a role there, with their stated goal of eliminating landfill waste by 2025. — — A new UK study found that household food waste accounts for 3 […]

March 25, 2011 | Also posted in Friday Buffet, International, Personal, Supermarket | Comments closed

The Reports Report

Last week, the EPA released the latest version of its Municipal Solid Waste report. It’s a big occasion in these parts. If you’re like me, you eschew the fact sheet for the 189-page full report. Because the latter includes the all-important “products discarded” (on page 94). That represents what’s dumped in landfills, after recycling reduces […]

February 2, 2011 | Also posted in Household, Restaurant, Stats | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Check out this neat NPR story on gleaning in Tennessee. Great press for the valiant Society of St. Andrew. — — Ag giant Archer Daniels Midland and the University of Illinois are teaming up to figure out how to avoid waste in the developing world. ADM is contributing $10 million to fund the Institute for […]

January 21, 2011 | Also posted in Composting, Farm, Food Recovery, International | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

The Composting World Cup?? Australia will host it in April. I guess that’s some consolation for missing out hosting the real World Cup in 2022. — — It’s definitely that time of year where pantries are busiest. Yet this year, they’re really struggling to keep up with rising demand: The Cleveland Foodbank has provided 50percent […]

December 17, 2010 | Also posted in College, Composting, Personal, Supermarket | Comments closed

Trash Cops?

It’s a bit of a leap from ‘Recycling Ambassadors’ to ‘Trash Cops,’ but that’s the very jump made in this AOL column. At issue here are the Los Angeles city employees–whatever you want to call them–who make sure Angelinos are recycling correctly, including mixing food scraps in with the yard waste. The ‘Trash Cop’ outrage […]

December 6, 2010 | Also posted in Composting | Comments closed